


A Brave Heart

by kuhekabir



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Consent, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-02
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-01-17 22:19:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1404562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuhekabir/pseuds/kuhekabir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We thought you could handle yourself, Spangles. Were we wrong?"</p>
<p>Steve chose not to snarl. He quickly kneeled besides his unconscious friend, checking for a pulse. It was strong and steady. He carefully touched Howard's skull, feeling for any lumps or cuts. His fingers came away bloody.</p>
<p>Tony landed next to him. "Is that...?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.</p>
<p>"Yes," Steve answered, unable to tear his eyes away from Howard. "It's Howard Stark."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know where this rather unusual pairing came from, or where the story came from, BUT I know it started with this picture:
> 
> [](http://s709.photobucket.com/user/nefretu/media/dominic_cooper-wallpaper_-.jpg.html)

A Brave Heart

"Come on, Howard, run!" Peggy tugged at his shirt as if the weak motion was going to get him moving.

He shrugged, dislodging her grip. "I got this, Pegs," he reassured her. Without looking up, he continued. "But you really should go." He waved his hand backwards in a shooing motion to underline his rushed sentence.

"Howard," she admonished him, not budging. He sighed. He looked away from the display, turning slightly so he could look into her eyes. Whatever she saw there had her eyes tightening.

"You need to go," he tried again, putting as much meaning into every single word he'd just said. "Go."

She held his gaze. If he could just figure out how so much data could be streamed between two individuals by a mere gaze, he would be beyond rich. Not that he really cared about money. It was nice to have it, but to him it was all about the chase. Finding something new, something exciting...the game...

She gave him a curt nod before turning around. He stared after her for a few precious seconds until she'd turned a corner. Then, he turned back around, focusing on the display before him.

He would never admit it out loud but the technology before him might even be slightly beyond him. Well, he mentally amended. He could figure it out, no doubt about it. If he had at least an hour or two. Sadly, it would seem he might only have a few minutes. 

He swallowed hard. Sweat ran down the side of his face, causing the skin to slightly itch. He ran his fingers through his damp hair. His cut might not be fashionable at the moment, with it being short and sticking up, but he didn't care. The former buzz cut might be about one inch removed from its former glory but that didn't stop his rather thick hair from standing upright.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing back on the task. If he couldn't shut this machine off...figures ran over the screen. Equations, notations...computer language...he'd learned a lot over the last year when it came to alien tech. If he'd ever thought the crazy would stop with the Nazis, the Red Skull and Captain America, he sure as hell needed to think again.

Since thinking of his dead friend was counterproductive, he shoved his feelings back down. Now wasn't the time to dwell.

"This can't be right," he mumbled. "Why would they...?" The answer was simple: they wouldn't. The machine was malfunctioning, which was why Hydra had hightailed it out of here so quickly.

He looked up, staring with unseeing eyes at the dark ceiling. After a second, which felt more like an eternity, he bent down again. His fingers flew over the key board. If he could interrupt the sequence, he might be able to buy them some more time. Would be too late for him, nothing could stop the explosion now, but if the cube could be detonated before its long range wave hit the planet's core...well, let's just say one dead Howard Stark compared to one exploded planet wasn't really a bad trade off.

He might even get a monument or two out of it. Maybe right next to the Captain America statue they were building in New York.

Hm...

Then the wold went white.

##

And came rushing back with ear shattering noise. He screamed, raising his hands to shield his face. The wave of the explosion flung him backwards. His back connected with something seemingly solid...for it to only give way. Tens of thousands pin pricks on his skin told him he'd just fallen through glass.

But he'd been underground. Nothing but solid concrete and earth around him. How could he possibly be falling through glass?

Time seemed to slow. He seemed to hover in mid-air, able to follow his flight path almost objectively. Nothing but glaring darkness from where he'd been flung from with millions of brightly gleaming shards all around him. Glass? Or the cube?

The world reasserted itself with a loud bang. If his vocal cords had still been functioning properly, he would've probably screamed again. As it was, he somehow had the presence of mind to attempt to twist his body round. Better to crash face forward than to land blindly on his back, no?

He'd just managed to turn when a looming dark shade came into view. He raised his hands to avoid a total crash but nothing could stop the two bodies from colliding.

The loud roar in his ears didn't block out the pained oomph from the guy he'd just flattened.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, hastily scrambling off the guy. His knees shook. His legs almost gave out but he refused to land on his knees in front of a stranger.

Wide blue eyes look up at him. Messy blond hair. A familiar costume. Was that a shield?

"Steve?" Howard was sure his eyes must be bulging out of his head. How was this possible? How was he still alive? How was the planet still here? Where the hell was here anyway?

He looked around. He was no longer underground. Instead, he was in a huge warehouse with light streaming in from the overhead windows. It'd been night where he'd been. Somewhere in France actually, if memory served right.

"Howard?" Steve's voice was equally breathless and unbelieving.

Danger registered with him a second before his eyes actually saw the guy aiming a gun at Steve's back. His instincts had been honed over the last year, sometimes almost bordering on the precognitive. At least according to Peggy. Not that he believe a word she said when she started sprouting nonsense. He was simply more aware of his surroundings then most men since most people were sheep. Born to be led. Bahhhhh.

"Look out!" he yelled as he rushed forward. His shoulder connected with Steve, shoving him sideways at the same time as he hurled himself towards the unknown assailant. A shot ran out just as Howard crashed into the man. His hands found the gun, twisting it sideways. He tensed, almost expecting a burning sensation to somewhere appear on his right side. Nothing happened.

Before the guy could start up again, Howard grabbed his skull, smacking it against the hard floor. He grabbed the gun. It wasn't a model he was familiar with. And yet, he was familiar enough with weapons to figure out how to work it within a few seconds.

A glance behind him told Steve was already otherwise engaged with different attackers. Well, he didn't have time to dwell either since two more men were storming at him.

He aimed, and fired. Wasn't too hard to miss the body when he was that close. Before he could however aim at the second guy heading towards him, the man was already on him. He tried to bring his gun around only to have it torn out of his hand. He avoided a direct hit to his face by leaning sideways, nearly overbalancing himself. Only his training kept him from actually falling backwards like a rookie.

On swift feet he changed his position, ducking once more to avoid yet another hit. He used his right leg to trip the guy up, almost causing him to stumble. That reaction was all he needed.

Since he wasn't the strongest guy around, he'd been trained to be fast, effective, and to use his slight build to his advantage. Where his opponent might have more muscles than him, Howard knew how to be quick. His agile mind quickly supplied him with different options. Sometimes it felt like a computer, offering him different selections on how to proceed. He'd once shared this with Peggy only get a very puzzled stare in return.

"Grab him!" someone yelled from behind him. Despite knowing better, he briefly turned to get a look at the guy. He knew it was a mistake the moment he'd done it, and yet, he'd been unable to stop his gut reaction.

Something smacked him hard on the back of his head. He crumbled forward, rushing towards the ground. Thankfully, he was already out like a light by the time he hit the pavement.

##

"Let him go," Steve snarled, his usually so friendly visage quite the opposite. He'd lost enough friends already to get very, very protective of those few he had left. Predictably, the Hydra goons ignored him.

Iron Man finally joined the battle, blasting the guys into the next life. Steve preferred hand to hand combat. It seemed more honest to him in a way than to push a button but he couldn't deny that Tony Stark was quite effective. Iron Man had come in handy more than once.

"Where have you been?" he asked as he rushed towards Howard's prone form.

"There more out there," Tony replied, easy confidence in his voice. "We thought you could handle yourself, Spangles. Were we wrong?"

Steve chose not to snarl. He quickly kneeled besides his unconscious friend, checking for a pulse. It was strong and steady. He carefully touched Howard's skull, feeling for any lumps or cuts. His fingers came away bloody.

Tony landed next to him. "Is that...?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Steve answered, unable to tear his eyes away from Howard. "It's Howard Stark."

##

"How the hell did that happen?" someone yelled at the same time as someone else loudly exclaimed, "Holy fuck, is that your father?"

And on and on it went.

"Shut up!" Steve yelled at the top of his lungs. All eyes were on him. He never yelled. He didn't curse either, but just because he preferred to be polite didn't mean he didn't know how to be rude.

"Thank you, Steve," Director Fury gave him a quick nod. "Now, since the doctors have already confirmed Stark's identity, I would like to know how he got here."

Steve didn't quite understand all the technicalities involved, but DNA testing had apparently proven beyond a shred of doubt that Howard Stark was indeed Howard Stark. Steve had said so from the beginning, but, of course, they had to be sure. No one had yet seen anyone clone another human being to perfection, but after encountering aliens who knew what could be done!

After all, Steve himself was a walking and talking science miracle.

"I refuse to call him Dad," Tony declared with heat.

"Your issues aside, Stark," Fury replied. "I really would like to know how he got here. And how we can send him back."

"Send him back?" Steve didn't want to send Howard anywhere. They might not have been best friends but they'd been close. If somehow Howard had ended up in the future, couldn't he stay? Steve swallowed. No, of course not. This would be selfish. Howard belonged in the past, much like Steve did. The difference was, Howard had been flung forward, yanked out of the time he was supposed to be in. He'd lived it before...what would the repercussions be if he didn't return?

Steve's eyes swung to Tony. Oh...no Howard Stark, no Tony. Howard had to go back after all.

"I should build a time machine," Tony started to mumble, ignoring Fury. "A time machine!" More excitement. "Imagine what we could see! The Ice Age! Dinosaurs!"

"Sir," a woman Steve hadn't seen before interrupted their meeting. "Thor has returned."

Before she could say anything further, Thor brushed past her with confident strides. "Friends, I bring grave tidings."

"Let me guess," Clint declared. "Loki escaped, and we're about to invaded again."

Thor looked puzzled for a few seconds before he shook his head. "Loki..." he caught himself before he could say more. Steve narrowed his eyes. Was there something Thor wasn't telling them? For someone who usually looked so open, the look just now spoke of something else.

"Please, sit," he waved at the table. "I am afraid I bring grave tidings."

Fury looked as if he was about to explode. Steve could sympathize. There was only so often someone could announce they were doomed without actually explaining themselves before anyone would lose their patience.

Thor must've picked up on the tension in the room because he hurried to say. "Please, bear with me. I need to explain a few things before everything make sense."

"Let's sit," Natasha declared, taking a chair. Since no one wanted to contradict her, everyone else did the same.

"As you know, Yggdrasil, or the World Tree, links our realms together."

Everyone nodded.

Tony looked as if he was about to argue but he wisely closed his mouth.

"There is also the void, which separates us from other trees."

Everyone looked puzzled.

It was Tony who deciphered what Thor had said first. "You mean, there are other universes out there. It's not just a crazy theory, it is actually true?"

"What you call other universes, we call other trees. There are more than one World Tree out there, but we cannot travel between the trees because there is nothing between them."

"Apart from the voice," Clint offered up.

"Yes," Thor confirmed again. "For every decision you make, there might be a world where you made a different one. There are places out there which are almost identical to our, but there are also universes which are so different..." Thor's voice trailed off. Everyone got the picture though.

"Heimdall is not only the gate keeper. He also keeps an eye on the void."

"I thought you said the void couldn't be travelled," Fury injected.

"It can't," Thor quickly confirmed. "But if something truly catastrophic happens, the shock waves can be felt across the universe."

Silence filled the room. Steve couldn't shake the feeling everything he knew was about to be changed again. He didn't much like feeling so out of place, so out of depth.

"An entire tree collapsed only a few hours ago."

No one said anything. This was grave news, Steve was sure, he couldn't quite decipher how though.

Thor seemed to understand so he quickly elaborated. "A realm can vanish, be destroyed. It happens, and its shock waves can barely be felt across the void. Sometimes, if universes are very close, the waves can reach us, but this is rare. In our recorded history, there is only one event like this recorded. This is how rare, how truly horrific this is."

No one said a word.

"Something happened which totally obliterated an entire World Tree. Not just one world, but the entire tree. The shock wave from this catastrophe went far and wide, but this isn't why Heimdall called me. He saw a brief connection between our Yggdrasil and the destroyed one. Something traversed the void and arrived here."

"I thought you said that was impossible," Fury said.

"Normally, yes," Thor answered. "But if our trees were very close, it could happen. Especially given with what force the waves travelled."

"So?" Natasha prompted.

"Dad is from an alternate universe?" Tony injected while Steve exclaimed something along similar lines. "Howard isn't actually Tony's father?"

Thor looked from one to the other. "Am I right to assume someone did arrive? Someone you know?"

"Yes," Steve spoke first. Even Fury stayed quiet. "Howard Stark."

Thor's eyes flickered to Tony.

"He's Tony's father."

Thor nodded sagely. "Yes, but not from this universe."

"Then I need to build a machine to cross universes?" Tony might sound a little bit thrilled but Steve could tell he was also a little bit alarmed at the prospect.

Thor shook his head. "Howard Stark cannot go back. As I said, his world was completely destroyed. He must've been at the centre of the detonation to have come this far. It must be meant to be for him to arrive here. It is the only reason why he has survived."

Steve would've sat down on the floor in shock if he hadn't already been sitting down. The part of him which was glad to have Howard back also reeled with what he'd just learned. This was so much worse than him being trapped in ice. He might've lost everyone he'd ever cared about, but he knew they had lived their lives.

Anyone Howard had known was dead.

"Alright," Fury chose to break the silence. "If this means we have another Stark on the lose then I want him out of the base as soon as possible."

Clint snorted.

"What?" Tony stared at Fury. "I don't want to live with my father!"

"Since you've just volunteered," Fury snidely replied. "Congratulations. You're getting another housemate."

Not waiting for another objection, Fury strode out of the room.

Tony started muttering objections and curses but Steve chose to follow Natasha instead of engaging his friend. He might consider Tony a friend, but Howard was his friend too.

"It's not fair for Tony to transfer his issues with his father onto Howard," he muttered.

"Maybe not," Natasha replied casually. "But he is still Tony's father. Genetically at least. And Steve..." She stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. "He isn't the Howard you knew either. He's from another universe."

"But he recognized me," Steve objected. Deep down though, he knew Natasha was right. According to Thor, their universes must've been close. But close didn't mean the same.

"True," Natasha easily replied. Her eyes though urged him to caution. "I know you consider him to be your friend but, please, tread carefully. Best possible scenario: our worlds are almost identical. He'll only have to deal with waking up in the future, since our time stream must've moved faster."

Steve frowned. He hadn't even thought about that. Howard appeared to be in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, so about the same age as when Steve saw him last.

"Worst case scenario," she continued. "He might know you but..."

Steve shook his head. "I don't want to know," he told her. "No," he held up his hand to stop her. "I hear you. I just think speculating isn't going to help matters."

She inclined her head.

They walked into medical together. It didn't take them long to get an update on Howard's status.

"He's got a concussion, bruising and small cuts all over his body. His injuries aren't severe but might cause him some pain for the next few days," the nurse explained.

"So we can take him with us when he wakes up?" Steve asked hopefully.

The nurse consulted her tablet. She must've found the authorization there because she confirmed Steve's assumptions.

"I'll get Happy to pick you up."

Steve nearly jumped out of his skin. Since when was Tony this stealthy?

"I know, this isn't Dad," Tony informed him, his eyes glued to the prone figure on the other side of the glass wall. "But in a way he still is."

Steve nodded. He understood. "I just can't be there when he wakes up. I need to...work on something."

Without waiting for any reply, Tony vanished again.

"I know Tony's childhood wasn't all roses," Steve turned to Natasha. "And it isn't really my business to pry, but..."

"But you can't help being curious," she finished the sentence for him. "No one really knows the details. Stark might've been many things but open about his private life he isn't, despite what the press might think. SHIELD does have a file on him," Natasha went on to explain. "There definitely was neglect involved. We just don't know if Howard Stark also was physically abusive towards Tony."

Steve nodded. He might not be the poster boy for mental health himself, despite what people liked to think, but even he could easily see the signs in Tony. No one ended up like Tony Stark without some serious problems in his past. Steve had no idea what growing up rich and brilliant really was like, but he could imagine it to be difficult even with a loving family at his side. And, as far as he knew, Tony had always been alone.

Natasha patted him on the shoulder before exiting. Steve had nowhere else to be, so he might just as well wait here for Howard to wake up. And staring at him while he was sleeping, drinking in his features, wasn't creepy at all. He was simply checking for differences.

##

"This Howard Stark," Thor asked Tony. "He is your father."

Tony nodded, staring at his console. Why had he given the Avengers full access to his lab again?

"Is he also a warrior like you?"

Tony's heart swelled for a moment. He'd been called many things, but being called a warrior by Thor was a compliment unlike any other.

"He did work for SHIELD," Natasha materialized out of nowhere. He would've thought Clint to be the sneaky one between them, what with him hiding in the vents all the time, but apparently Natasha was even better at popping up unannounced than the archer was.

"I know," Tony slowly turned around. "He was a consultant. He designed tech for them."

"He was in no way involved in active missions," Natasha confirmed. Thor looked at her. She continued. "The only time he was out in the field, was when he flew a plane behind enemy lines so Steve could rescue his friend."

"Ah, yes," Tony mumbled.

"Have you seen the footage from our drone?"

Both Tony and Thor shook their heads.

Natasha calmly walked over to a terminal queuing it up.

Both Tony and Thor joined her.

Watching the event as it had happened was beyond aerie. One moment Steve was alone, fighting Hydra goons, and the next a huge black hole appeared out of nowhere.

"It doesn't have audio," Natasha said.

Howard twisted in mid-air, landing on Steve. Tony winced. The landing couldn't have been fun. He could also easily see that Howard was injured. 

Still, despite the dirty clothes and the blood, Howard swiftly moved off Steve. Seconds later, Howard flung himself at an attacker at Steve's back. With a lot of skill, he disabled the man. Tony could only stare when he watched his maybe-father smash the man's head onto the ground.

He could believe it even less when he picked up the gun and fired it. Watching him hold his own with the third assailant proofed the point Natasha was trying to make. This Howard Stark had received combat training.

When a blow to the back of his head landed him on the ground, Natasha stopped the footage. "He might not be as well trained as me and Clint," she said. "But he is definitely more trained than you. And you've received quite a few pointers."

Tony swallowed. He couldn't believe he was looking at his father's face. At his father! Who, judging from his looks, was even younger than he was! Granted, by not many years, but still! It boggled the mind!

And now he was also some sort of skilled ninja fighter. Well, Tony didn't like it one bit.

Thor clasped him on the shoulder. "Your father is a skilled fighter," he declared with pride. "We should celebrate his return."

Tony could only shake his head. For once, Natasha took pity on him. She talked Thor down from throwing Howard Stark a welcome home party.

##

For someone who usually woke up slowly, lazily even, coming awake rapidly wasn't a pleasant experience. Howard gasped. His eyes flew open. The pounding in his head increased almost tenfold.

He closed his eyes again. When he opened them the next time, he had to blink away some moisture before he could focus on his surroundings.

He didn't understand what had happened. There was an explosion. He was sure of it. He frowned. He didn't think he was infallible, but there was no way he'd been wrong about the equations. And yet, the planet was still here. How was that possible?

"You can sit up if you want. Just slowly."

Steve's voice shocked him to the core.

"You're not real," he informed his dead friend. "I must've hit my head harder than I thought."

"I'm real," Steve countered.

"Of course you would say that."

"Here," Steve reached out. He grabbed Howard's hand, assisting him in sitting up. "Can your hallucination do that?"

"Depends on how screwed up my mind is," Howard muttered. "So, if you're not dead, what the hell happened? Where am I?"

He quickly scanned the room. It was an isolation room with one door and one huge glass window. Even with the little tech in the room, he could easily tell it wasn't any technology he was used to. Sure, he could recognize some medical equipment, but it still wasn't the same.

"You're not going to like it," Steve declared.

Howard glared at him. "Just tell me," he demanded.

With a huge sigh, Steve proceeded to tell him the most outlandish story he'd ever heard. Starting from Steve being frozen in the ice and ending with him being flung into another universe. Steve getting trapped in ice and surviving he could even somehow believe. But getting flung across the void into another universe?

And yet...the tiny voice in the back of his mind told him, you know you were right about the equations. And yet, you are still alive. And more importantly, the planet is still here!

He swallowed hard. "Everything is gone?" He fought hard to keep his voice from shaking. He couldn't wrap his mind around being the only survivor of an entire universe! No, he couldn't go there. Madness greeted him like a lost friend, and he'd rather avoid going off the rails.

"I know it is hard," Steve tried to comfort him. "When I woke up here, I was alone too. I can't even imagine what it must be like for you. Not only out of time but also in a different world..."

"Out of time...ah..." It finally sunk in. Time streams must run differently. It made sense, in a crazy sort of way.

"Can we not talk about it?" he pleaded. He really didn't want to think about it. If he did...he might...he didn't know...he just couldn't deal with it right now.

"Sure." Steve's smile was a bit strained. "Why don't we get out of here? Happy is to drive us to the tower."

"The what now?"

Steve quickly explained about the Avengers, Tony Stark and where they all lived. By the time Howard climbed into the luxurious limousine he felt like jumping off the nearest high rise building. He had son? How had that happened? Well, he mentally slapped himself. Of course he knew how it had happened, but still, with whom?

He looked down on his clothes. Then he stared out the window, noting the people walking about. "I want to get new clothes."

"What?" Steve asked. "You want to get new clothes now?"

Howard shrugged. His mind was a scary place sometimes. And yes, right now he wanted new clothes. He could use a decent wash too, but he figured the cleaning the nurses must've done while he was out cold would suffice for now.

"I don't like uniforms," he said. "And this," he pointed at his SHIELD approved outfit. "Is painful to watch. I'll pay you back." He blinked. He had no money. "I'll find a way to pay you back," he amended.

"Don't worry," Steve waved him off. "I don't mind."

Not much later, the driver pulled over. "You sure you want to do this now?" Steve asked again. "I know how daunting it must be to be out of time...you don't have to do this now."

Howard rolled his eyes. Of course he was a bit worried about going out there. He wasn't scared, because Howard Stark didn't do scared. But he also felt like shit, and since clothes worked as armour, he saw no reason not to indulge himself.

Besides, best way to stay unnoticed was to blend in. He had enough working against him already. He didn't know this world, its rules, and most importantly, he didn't know who was a friend or foe. He doubted Steve, in any incarnation, would mean him harm, but did he know for sure? No.

So, the one thing he could do right now was to get clothes so he could blend in easily should the need arise.

"You wait here," he told Steve.

"But..."

"Stay," Howard ordered. When Steve looked ready to protest some more, Howard added. "I can do this on my own. I am not a child."

"I'll just follow you," Steve declared. "I'll stay a few steps behind, but you need me anyway if you want to pay for your purchases."

Howard blinked. Damn it, of course he needed someone to pay. "Fine," he snapped. He was aware he was acting like an asshole but he needed to reassert his independence. If what Steve had said was true...no, it was true, the proof was all around him, then he would have to put up with other people telling him what to do and helping him out. The thought alone made his skin crawl.

But it wouldn't serve any purpose to be stubborn about it.

When he entered the shopping centre, for a few seconds, he felt overwhelmed by all the noise around him. A few people looked at him, but most just ignored him. He quickly scanned the area, looking at what people wore. He needed to blend in.

Eventually he picked a random store. He walked up to the first sales person he could find. He gave her his most winning smile. When she flushed, he felt pleased. At least some things hadn't changed!

"I need new clothes," he declared. "Forgive me, I'm from abroad," he added when she just stared at him. "My luggage was lost."

"Of course, follow me."

In no time at all, he had bags full of clothes. He eyed himself in the mirror. The changing room might be small but it was well enough lit to see clearly. Obviously this was the point.

Over the last year, he'd already abandoned his suits for more casual wear. He couldn't very well run around behind enemy lines and look as if he had money. Still, he kind of liked how these clothes felt on him.

The dark fabric of the trousers hugged his legs just right, allowing him freedom of movement while also looking good. The light blue shirt also looked good on him. With his stubble and his hair in disarray, he looked quite debauched. He could totally work with this. With a wicked grin he left the small room.

When Steve laid eyes on him, Howard watched as they widened and travelled up and down his body.

"Why don't you get something for yourself?" Howard asked, looking at Steve's clothes. "I think you could do with an overhaul of your wardrobe."

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress," Steve bit out. Clearly Howard must've hit a sore point.

Well, it wasn't really his business if someone as gorgeous as Steve wanted to hide his assets. Howard might be new to this place, and to this time, but even he could tell that Steve's fashion sense was defective. 

Steve paid for the purchases and helped him carry them to the car. "You're injured," he informed Howard when he wanted to carry more than two bags.

"I've got a few bruises and cuts," Howard objected. "And these are clothes."

Nevertheless, Steve wouldn't be moved. In the end, Howard accepted his fate and let Steve have his way.

The drive then to his new residence didn't take long. When they arrived, Steve guided him into the main hall.

"Happy will see to your things being delivered," Steve told him. "I don't know what floor you'll be on, so it's best if he sorts that out with JARVIS."

Before Howard could ask about JARVIS, a stunning woman walked towards them. She smiled at Steve. When her eyes settled on him, she still smiled but it appeared to be strained. Clearly, she wasn't a fan of him.

Howard, not daunted the least bit, gave her his most charming look. She blinked, the only indication he'd gotten to her.

"Welcome to the tower. I'll show you where you'll be staying." She gestured for them to follow her. "I'm Pepper Pots. The..." Her voice faltered for a bit. She gave him a quick glance. Why?

"I'm the CEO of Stark Industries, and Tony's friend."

Now it was Howard's turn to blink. His supposed son wasn't running the company? Why? And why had she felt the need to put so much emphasis on the fact that she was Tony's friend?

It didn't need anyone skilled in spy craft, which he wasn't, to figure out there were major undercurrents here at play. He could only hope to figure them out quickly before they dragged him under. He so hated swimming in unchartered waters.

Well, he did love the thrill of new discoveries. But he only loved them if they were on his terms.

An uncountable number of floors later, they exited into what appeared to be a common area of sorts. 

"Oh, good. You're here."

Howard focused on Tony Stark, the man who was supposed to be his son. Either he didn't notice the scrutiny he was under or he didn't care. Either way, Howard took his time looking. There was a resemblance there which couldn't be denied.

It was in the way he held himself, in his speech, and around his eyes. No one might mistake them for being related because they had similar features, no, but there still was a connection there. Even if he technically hadn't fathered the man before him since Howard was from an alternate universe.

Who had been his mother though? Howard couldn't recall meeting anyone he'd wanted to marry. Unlike Steve, he'd never saved himself for marriage, quite the opposite actually. But he'd always drawn the line at fathering children out of wedlock. He'd always assumed that the only way he would ever have children was if he found someone to marry him.

So who was the foolish woman?

"JARVIS will fill you in on what you need to know. Oh," almost like an afterthought, Tony added, "I've cleared you for one of the smaller labs. Surely you'll want to familiarize yourself with the new tech, and maybe tinker a little bit?"

Howard simply nodded.

"Good, good." Without a backward glance, Tony strolled out of the room.

Howard looked at Steve. "I guess he isn't thrilled to have his father show up out of nowhere. I guess in this world I'm dead?"

He watched as Steve swallowed. "Yes," he eventually answered. "You and your wife died in a car accident when Tony was still quite young."

"Ah," was all Howard said. From the less than enthusiastic reaction of Tony he could easily decipher a few key things, like how their father-son relationship couldn't have been all roses.

He did wonder why though.

Howard himself could barely remember his father. And what memories he had, he'd rather avoid. Surely, he wouldn't have made the same mistakes?

"Who's JARVIS?" he asked, changing the topic. Better not to dwell on things he couldn't change anyway.

"I'm Sir's creation," a disembodied voice announced.

Howard only slightly jumped out of his skin. What the hell?

"I am an AI. If you ever have any questions, or are in need of assistance, just speak out loud. I will hear you."

Howard nodded. He was partially intrigued by JARVIS but also horrified. No privacy?

"He won't monitor you in your rooms, or in the shower," Steve explained. "I felt the same way when I learned about him. He's kind of like a really bright computer. He is there but only if he ask him to be."

Howard nodded. He needed to think on this. As amazing as creating JARVIS was, he wasn't so sure he would ever feel comfortable with not being totally alone. Was this why Tony had created him? Had he been looking for company and had created JARVIS to fill a gap? What did that say about Tony Stark?

"Could you show me to the lag, please?" Howard asked. When Steve made to move along, Howard shook his head. "I'd rather be a lone for a bit."

Steve didn't look happy about it but he nodded. "I understand." 

And maybe he did.

##

Hours later, Howard leaned away from the flickering images to rub his eyes. This new technology was amazing. Catching up with it though would be a bitch. Not only was it far more advanced than what he was used it, it also had gone down a different route than he would've ever thought possible.

Sure, he might've learned a thing or two about alien tech over the last year but nothing like this. He frowned. Maybe if he treated it like alien tech? In a way it was alien to him.

The Internet had provided him with ample information on his supposed past too. When he looked at images of him and his supposed wife, he hadn't recognized her at all. Maybe this was a key factor where they worlds would've moved into different directions. What he could tell though was that the Howard Stark of this world had been obsessed with finding Captain America and with making money.

Not so much with family.

Honestly, Howard could relate. His own upbringing didn't really make him want to marry and father children, but he'd always thought that if it would happen, he would at least take an interest in his child. Especially if the child turned out to be as intelligent as Tony.

Instead...he hadn't.

Well, clearly they weren't the same man.

He sucked in a deep breath. The walls seemed to close in around him, trying to suffocate him. He needed to get out.

He wasn't claustrophobic per say, but spending too many hours confined in small spaces had created a need in him for openness – at least once in a while.

He straightened up, stretched, and then briskly walked towards the elevator. When he punched in the floor number of the lobby, nothing happened. He tried again.

"Sir, you aren't to leave the premises." JARVIS informed him. "I'm sorry, but you are still new to this world and Director Fury and Sir have decided it would be best..."

Whatever else JARVIS might've said, Howard didn't hear. The loud roaring in his ears had him nearly toppling forward. He barely managed to get out of the lift. He placed one hand against the wall to steady himself.

He could go up to the roof, right?

"Can I go up to the roof?" He quickly added, "Just to catch some fresh air."

"Of course, Sir."

Howard then spent the rest of the hour testing how closely JARVIS was really monitoring him. He carefully avoided any obvious signs of what he was planning. However, if the AI really looked closely, there wasn't a way it wouldn't be able to figure out what was creating from scratch.

It might not be a formidable weapon, or some awe inspiring device, but it wasn't supposed to be.

Logically he might be able to understand why they had decided to keep him locked in. He wasn't a prisoner per say but he also wasn't a normal guest. But he couldn't stand being locked up for any longer!

Where did they imagine he would run to anyway? He had no money, no friends, no real idea on how this world worked. Sure, he could figure it out, he was Howard Stark after all, but why would he want to make things extra difficult for him? Couldn't they give him enough credit to not act like an idiot?

He carried the device into the elevator. Only when he exited on the roof, did JARVIS finally try to stop him.

"Sir, what do you think you're doing?" 

Howard could hear JARVIS asking from the closing elevator door. He didn't doubt for a second that he would be alerting the others. He maybe had a minute or two before someone would show up to stop him.

But he didn't need that much time.

He quickly took aim and fired. The rope hurled across the divide between the two adjacent buildings. When the hook connected with the roof opposite from the one he was standing on, he yanked once...twice.

It seemed to hold.

He used a torn towel to protect his hands. Then, without a second glance on the huge drop below him, he flung himself off the room.

It only took him a few seconds to slide across. His eyes widened as he crashed against the window. He clearly should've thought this through for a little bit longer.

What if no one was home. He placed his feet against the glass, about to fling himself backwards, to try and gain enough momentum to break the window, when it slid open. He more or less fell inside.

"Who the hell are you?" the older lady screeched. "One of Stark's friends?"

She actually used a spoon to whack him over the head. "I've lived here all my life. I see what goes on in that building!"

Whack. Had she just thrown a ball of wool at him? For real?

"I'm sorry," Howard hurriedly got back onto his feet. "Sorry for the intrusion, Ma'am."

He had no clue where the exit was, but running along the hallway sure seemed like a good idea. He found it in no time. With one last sorry flung at the old lady, he dashed out of her apartment.

He needed to get out of the building. Otherwise his escape would be short lived. They would track him down eventually, and he didn't mind, but for now, he wanted to be able to walk the streets without anyone stopping him.

Knowing they had excellent tech stopped him from using the elevator. Correction, he summoned the lift, hit the button to the lobby, before running down the stairs. If they thought he was heading for the main entrance, he might be able to leave another way.

On the second floor he stopped. He entered the hallway, looking for any options. There. A fire exit. He quickly opened it and climbed through the window. The old staircase didn't quite reach the bottom. Without thinking twice about it, he jumped the rest of it.

His ribs protested when he landed, sending twinges of pain through his body. He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, fighting to steady his breathing.

When he no longer felt like passing out, he swiftly made his way to the other exit of the alley. When he turned onto the busy sidewalks, the crowded swallowed him up within seconds. 

##

He strolled, ignoring curses thrown at his head whenever he accidentally bumped into someone. He took in as many changes as he could while also keeping an eye out for whatever hadn't changed at all.

He noticed the odd security camera, the ATMs, and yes, he was well aware those things were going to be used to track him down. He wasn't really hiding, he just wanted some time alone and sometime breathing fresh air.

Eventually the tiny hairs at the back of his neck started to stand up. He felt an odd tingling sensation as well, as if he was being watched. He paused, stopping in front of a window. It was the oldest trick in the book to look for any odd reflections in such a window but he wasn't above using old tricks.

He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. More importantly, he doubted any of the Avengers would simply follow him. They would approach and haul his ass back to the tower. So, who was following him then?

He doubted whoever it was had good intentions.

With a world-weary sigh, he turned, heading back toward the tower. Even if he'd gotten lost, which he hadn't, he would be unable to miss the monstrosity. He didn't speed up, he didn't cautiously peer over his shoulders, for all purposes, he seemed to have simply changed his mind in what direction to take.

He did make a point though of pausing in front of every available camera, hoping the cavalry would arrive on time. It didn't sit right with him to count on others to help him but he wasn't stupid enough to not call for help when he needed it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a added a new warning to this story: dubious consent. There isn't much of it in this chapter but there is some of it...and I don't want to accidentally trigger anyone...so consider yourself warned!

The moment he laid eyes on the monstrosity that was Stark Tower, he knew time had run out. How? He couldn't possibly tell. So close to relative safety, and yet, every inch of him was tingling. Goose-bumps covered his body. He stopped. He turned, looking around.

He stood by the edge of the sidewalk, not paying much attention towards the sway of traffic to his right. Metaphorical alarm bells were going off inside his head.

He'd just completed yet another turn of his head when, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed two men elbowing their way towards him.

They were fast, and he was cut off. The traffic was too dense to make a break for it. He was surrounded. Well, he wasn't defeated yet.

His eyes narrowed as he changed the stance of his body. His muscles tensed, his senses sharpened. He even went so far to taunt them with the flick of a hand, a gesture to show them he wasn't afraid.

_Come on_ , the motion meant. _I don't have all day._

Poor planning, fate, or pure luck, he couldn't tell. However, the man on his front came at him first. This allowed Howard to duck, kick out his leg and trip him up. His sixth sense alerted him to danger coming from behind. He swiftly moved, bending backwards, narrowly avoiding a sharp hit to the back of his head.

That would've hurt!

As always, everything seemed to slow down until he could figure out how to move. Of course, reality did no such kindness to him. Peggy had always comment it was either his overactive imagination which allowed him to come up with so many inventions or, maybe, he was just plain old crazy.

He'd always thought it might be a combination of both.

He rushed at the first guy, giving him a good shove. It might not be the fighting style of the year, but with the attacker falling backwards, tumbling into a few still oblivious passer-bys...well, it ensured the guy was occupied for a few precious seconds, taking the pressure of Howard.

He should've counted for a third guy, and maybe if he wasn't still so rattled by recent events, he might've.

Strong arms grabbed him from behind, squeezing his chest. His still aching ribs and bruises protested rather profoundly at the mistreatment. He couldn't stifle a groan escaping his lips. Still, defeat wasn't a word he knew.

He reared backwards, smacking the back of his head against the guy's face. Pain exploded through his skull but he was rewarded with being let go.

"Howard!" Steve's scream broke his concentration.

Once more, despite knowing better, Howard was distracted. Hope blossomed in his heart as he saw Steve speeding towards him. With Captain America fighting off those three goons, surely that would save the day?

He hadn't counted on the fact that those goons might be a bit more desperate than the average bad guy. One of them barrelled into him, sending him falling into the traffic. Horns blared, people screamed, one of them might've even been Howard.

By a stroke of luck, good or bad left to be decided, he managed to catch himself. Instead of simply falling before an oncoming car, he straggled backwards. He yanked himself upwards and straight up as much as he could. 

The car passed him by, missing him by inches.

Relief however was short lived.

He heard the door opening behind him. He twisted, about to look while gearing up for running, but it wasn't meant to be.

More than one pair of hands reached for him, yanking him backwards into darkness. The door of the van slammed close. Somewhere, in the distance, he could hear Steve yelling. It wouldn't do him any good since the van was already speeding away.

Howard struggled. There was only so much he could do while being pressed face forward onto the ground but he wasn't about to let himself be taken quietly.

Something sharp pricked his neck. Not good, his mind screamed. He intensified his struggles. As the world slowly dimmed, he could feel himself being released.

His hands were yanked backwards, tied behind his back. He couldn't fight them, he couldn't escape, but he still had enough presence of mind to spread his hands as wide as he could. When new flares of pain shot through his body, he couldn't even protest because he was already on his merry way into oblivion.

##

"Give him another dose."

"You sure that's wise?"

"Better safe than sorry. Or have forgotten how the first team sent to retrieve him was punished for failing?"

Voices washed over him like waves. He could make out their meaning, even differentiate between speakers but he couldn't muster up more than a little puzzlement at the situation. They were injecting him with something...not good...but he was floating, swirling in the clouds...so who cared?

Eventually the buzz faded. Awareness slowly reasserted itself. It started slow with pain in his shoulders and in his chest. He flexed his hands, testing the restraints. There was room to wiggle. Why they had used rope on him, he didn't know. Wait...he shifted his hands, testing what was used to bind them behind his back. No, it wasn't rope. Still, it seemed as if they had improvised which might work in his favour.

Eventually his senses reported back information about his surroundings, not just about his aches and bruises. Kind of like a computer powering up, one step at the time. When the car door was yanked open, the sound was so loud, it vibrated through his skull. He winced in pain.

Rough hands dragged him off the floor and out into the blinding sunlight. Before his eyes had any chance to adjusted, they were inside again. Two guys flanked him, each a hand on his upper arms, more or less dragging him along.

He honestly wasn't trying to be difficult, not now. Still, the world seemed to swim before his eyes, making it very hard for him to shuffle his legs. 

This wouldn't do, he told himself. How was he supposed to get out of here if every thought he had was coated in a thick, almost impenetrable fog?

It didn't even occur to him someone might come to his rescue. Experience taught him to only rely on himself. And in his current state, he could barely recall his name.

When they entered a rather opulent room with high ceilings and lots of glass windows, his captors shoved him to the ground. He landed with a loud oomph, nearly falling forward if someone hadn't grabbed him and hauled him backwards.

On his knees he looked around. There were strange markings in the air, like lines, criss-crossing from one section to the room to others. They seemed translucent, almost as if they weren't there at all, but when he looked, they seemed to shimmer, to grow stronger.

He flexed his hands, twisting and turning. Pain shot through him but he ignored it. He bit his tongue to avoid crying out, to avoid making any kind of sound.

He kept his eyes steady, at least as much as he could. He stared at the man coming towards him. There wasn't anything impressive about him. He seemed to be of average size with dark hair, dark eyes. He wasn't handsome or ugly. He had no scars, nothing which would set him apart from any of the other million business men out there.

He stopped before him. The guy reached out, grabbing a fistful of Howard's hair. This time he didn't stop himself from protesting when his head was yanked backwards. His hair wasn't even long enough for a good grip! This wasn't fair!

His struggles to free himself from the restraints intensified. He'd always had big wrists and small hands. It was why he had a chance of slipping out of the ties. Even if he had to use blood from his mangled wrists as lubricant, he wasn't about to ignore a chance of getting away by being squeamish.

"Well, well," the business man drew out the words as he stared intently down into Howard's face. "If this isn't Howard Stark himself. You're even prettier in person than any picture could give you credit for..."

The guy's thumb traced an invisible line down Howard's cheek which made him shiver. The touch in itself was innocent, and yet, there was something telegraphed there which Howard really didn't want to stick around to find out what it meant.

The guy prattled on but Howard tuned him out. Two men at his side, someone leaning against the door, and the business man in front. Without a clue what he would do when he was free, Howard suddenly leaped into action.

He yanked his hands free, tearing his skin open even further. He jumped onto the guy to his left, hurling him to the ground. The harsh impact on the floor seemed to render the guy useless. Howard snatched up the gun. He turned, firing a quick shot at the guard at the door.

Then, he rolled sideways, barely avoiding a hit to the side of the head. He fired. His aim was a little bit unsteady but who cared?

The strange lines he'd seen before were marking the door with an X. The way to one of the windows though seemed to practically vibrate with straight lines, as if someone, or something, was trying to tell him something.

Well, even without lines to point out the obvious, going out the door would've been madness. So instead, he ran, firing almost blindly to keep the guy from grabbing him. When he got close enough to the window, he shot at it, shattering the glass into million pieces.

He flung himself through it, propelling himself into the air. He could see the fire escape on the other building. He dropped the gun in favour of using both of his hands to try and catch himself.

He grabbed the railing with both hands, hoping to be able to hold on. The jolt of the impact sent too much pain through his bruised body. He slipped. As he fell, his limbs flailed. Images flashed through his mind. If asked, he wouldn't be able to say what he saw, apart from stars when he landed in an open dumpster.

He swallowed hard. Was he really still alive? He blinked, staring up towards heaven. Yes, he'd fallen, but only about one storey. And trash had cushioned his landing.

He scrambled over unidentifiable things until he was back in the alley. He didn't waste any time searching for the missing gun. Instead, he ran as if the devil personally was chasing after him.

Everything around him dulled down, as if reality was falling away. He could barely muster enough focus to put one foot in front of the other, keeping tabs on where he was going was simply too much to ask for.

Eventually, an indefinite amount of time later, he stopped. He placed a hand against the wall, trying to steady his rather weak legs. His unsteady breathing sounded as if someone was having an asthma attack. And truth to be told, it was getting a bit hard to breath. 

He shuffled around until he could prop his body against the wall. He sagged, barely keeping himself upright.

He ran a hand over his face up into his hair. This place wasn't safe. He couldn't crash now, he couldn't crash here. Anyone could find him. As a matter of fact...

"Well, what have we here?" A burly guy in yet another fancy suit approached him. At this rate, he was going to develop a rather irrational hate of well-dressed people.

The stranger stepped into his space. Using a finger, he tilted Howard's face upright. "You high?"

Howard chose not to answer. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't one of the goons who'd tried to abduct him. Maybe if he stayed quite, he would go away.

"How much?"

_How much for what?_ Howard idly thought. Not much of this exchange was making sense. Granted, he wasn't firing on all cylinders at the moment, but still...something nagged at the back of his mind. He should know where this was going...if he could just...

The sudden invasion of his face shocked all thoughts into disarray. He'd kissed many women in his life but this was new.

"Get away from him," a familiar voice threatened. Howard had never been so relieved in his entire life. 

"Find your own boy," the idiot protested, apparently not willing to let Howard go.

Howard somehow mustered all his strength, barrelling into the business man. Both lost their balance, landing on the ground.

He closed his eyes. He was flat on the ground but he didn't care. He could hear shoving and angry shouts behind him but he didn't even twitch. When he could feel Steve's presence near him, he finally allowed himself to shut down.

##

"So?" Tony asked him as Howard sat down for breakfast the next morning. With the drugs out of his system, he'd slept like the dead. And the shower this morning had been like coming alive again.

"So what?" he asked between chewing. He was hungry, he didn't much care if it wasn't polite to eat while talking.

"Being kissed by a guy," Tony answered.

Howard stopped chewing for a few seconds. His brow furrowed.

"I get kidnapped, had to rescue myself by jumping out of a window, and me getting accosted in an alley by some stranger is what you're focusing on?"

"You jumped out of a window?" Steve didn't yell, he hardly raised his voice, but it came close enough.

Howard turned slightly so he could look at Steve. "Yes?" he asked slowly. Was this a trick question?

"Why don't you start at the beginning...," Natasha interrupted.

"I think in the beginning there was a light," Howard slowly started, a lazy smirk dancing across his features.

Tony picked up a piece of toast, flinging it at his head. 

"Hey!" he protested.

"Stop it!" This time Steve yelled. "Howard," he said with the tone of voice which always made Howard feel like a five year old. "You know what she meant. What happened?"

Howard shrugged. He really didn't want to talk about it. He got away, the end...right?

Or maybe not. Hadn't they said something about a second attempt? When had been the first one?

"After leaving..."

"So is this what you call hurling yourself off a roof on a piece of rope? Leaving?" Tony injected.

Howard stared at him. He couldn't figure the guy out. Was he mad at him for something? Did he care? Or was he just annoyed that Howard seemed to complicate his life?

"I couldn't go out the front door," Howard snapped back. "Someone made that impossible. And I needed some air."

"Why didn't you just stay on the roof?" Tony waved his hands about as if he was trying to make a point. "Last time I checked, there's plenty of air up there!" He pointed upwards now.

Howard had to fight the urge to lift his head to follow Tony's gesture.

"I wanted to go out," he hissed. "I'm not your prisoner."

"No," Natasha injected before Tony could get another word out. "We should've probably told you straight away, but we were still looking into the matter. After looking over the footage from your arrival, it became clear you were a target."

"What?" Howard said somewhat stupidly. Surely this couldn't have been the first attempt at kidnapping those goons had been talking about. Who could've possible known he was about to arrive?

"Good question," Natasha answered.

Howard realized he must've said the last bit out loud.

"So you see, the order was to protect you until we knew more."

"Next time," he told her. "Just tell me." Not that it would stop him from doing something he wanted, but he would've liked to know the risks beforehand.

She regally inclined her head.

"So, you were out there taking a walk," Steve prompted him to get started again.

"Huh?" Howard felt confused for a moment. "Oh yes," he remembered. "I was walking when I realized I was being followed."

"This was when you started heading back to the tower?" Tony asked.

"Am I talking about what happened or are you?" Howard snapped.

Tony raised his hands in mock defeat.

Howard removed his hands from the table so he could ball them into tight fists where no one saw the gesture. He took a deep breath before he continued.

"I got ambushed," he said. "I fought but once they had me in the van they injected me with something. I think it must've been a sedative of some kind."

"Yes," Natasha confirmed. "The doctors ran an analysis on your blood."

"Anyway, when they dragged me into a house, I started working on getting out of my restraints."

He held up his hands to show them. His wrists sprouted nice, white bandages.

"I've always had big wrists and small hands which makes it easier for me to get out of restraints."

Natasha nodded in understanding.

"There was this guy in a sharp business outfit," he continued. He shuddered as he recalled the uninvited touch to his face. "I don't know what his plans were. I didn't stay around long enough to find out. I got free, knocked one guy out, grabbed his gun...and shot my way out of there."

"Why didn't you run out the door?" Steve asked a bit too calmly.

Howard narrowed his eyes at him. _Because the lines made a clear enough cross in front of the door? Because it felt saner to jump out a window?_ Somehow he figured both answers might not go over so well, so he simply shrugged.

"I didn't really have the time to think things through," he admitted. "But I figured going out the window was my best bet. There were who knew how many more hostiles in the house. Plus, I had no clue where the front door was. Getting out of there seemed like the best possible option."

"But out the window?" Tony injected with disbelief. "Did you even know how high up you were?"

Something must've shown on Howard's face because five seconds later Tony was in front of him, yanking him out of the chair. "Are you insane?" he shouted, shaking him.

Before Howard could decide on whether he should hit him or not, Steve pulled him away from him. Would it count as child abuse if he punched Tony in the face? Genetically speaking Tony was his son...and, in his opinion, no one deserved a good thrashing more than people who abused children and women. So, this was a no on hitting Tony?

His head hurt from just thinking about it so he decided to focus on something else.

With wild eyes Tony stared at him. "Do I need to go and see a shrink? Is insanity hereditary?"

"I think you've left sanity behind a long time ago, Stark," Natasha told him, humour coating her voice. "Or do you call flying around in a suit of metal rational?"

Tony, for once, seemed to be all out of comments.

"Did you know how high up you were?" Steve asked him gently.

Howard swallowed. There was no good way to answer this, was there?

"I had no time to think things through," he repeated. "I just reacted. And going out the window seemed to have the best possible chance of survival."

"Are you even listening to yourself," Tony muttered. No one paid him any heed.

"I survived, didn't I?" Howard barked. "And once I was on the ground, I ran. Everything's kind of blurry after that. How did you find me anyway?"

"Tony had JARVIS searching through all cameras in the city. Once we got a hit on your face, we retraced the steps until we found you in that alley," Steve answered. "He was searching for the van too, but he's kind of thorough. He didn't want to leave out the possibility of them switching vehicle. As a matter of fact, we found your face before we found any traces of the car."

"Great," Howard sat down again. "Can I eat my breakfast in peace now?"

"Aren't you curious about the men trying to abduct you?" Steve wanted to know.

"I am," Howard replied. "But it isn't as if I can do anything about it now. And I can't think with the way my stomach is growling."

"Don't worry about it," Natasha reassured him. "We'll look into it. And," she added with a wry smile, "We'll keep you updated. In the meantime, please stay put."

Howard nodded. He'd rather not get snatched up a third time. There was only so many times a guy could end up being as lucky as he'd been...he'd rather not test his chances with a third time.

##

"Well, aren't you a thing of beauty," he practically cued at the code before him. He could've sworn it twitched, glowing brighter with his praise.

Couldn't be true of course, it was code. Sure, quite advanced, but still.

Alien tech always brought a grin to his face. Sure, most Earth technology at the moment could be considered to be alien tech to him, but the piece he'd found in a corner clearly wasn't from around here.

Surely Tony couldn't object to him taking it apart and learning from it when he'd thrown it so carelessly into a corner, right?

Either way, Howard had lost track of time working on it. And the result was more than worth it. The code was a thing of beauty. Sentient in a way, but not quite in the same league as Tony's impressive AI.

He held up his new Stark phone, putting it close to the swirling code on the interactive screen. "Come on, come here..." he enticed. Seconds later, the code transferred itself onto his mobile device.

He smiled. Excellent.

##

He leaned against the door frame, watching with a fond smile as Natasha and Steve rounded on Tony. "You can't do it."

"Why not?" Tony petulantly replied. "I'm his type. Tall, dark and handsome."

"And you're known to every person on the planet!" Natasha hissed. "Besides," she added, "you still think under cover means being under covers in bed."

"Not fair," Tony replied without heat.

"We do have a problem," Steve injected. "I can't do it for the same reasons. Captain America could be recognized. Thor is too direct."

"He isn't here anyway," Tony muttered.

"And you're a woman, so not his type." Steve finished.

"Aren't you part of SHIELD?" Howard asked.

Everyone suddenly stared at him. He held up his hands. "Sorry," he said even though he felt no remorse at all. "If you wanted to have a private conversation then maybe you shouldn't use the living room."

"We are," Natasha answered, "But we can't trust anyone we don't know with this."

"SHIELD might be compromised," Steve added. "Some of the tech Tony designed specifically for SHIELD has made it out into the open market."

Howard nodded. So far he was following them.

"There's only one guy in the city with enough clout to pull something like this off," Natasha explained. "Alex Hunter."

"Who?"

"Business man," Natasha explained. "Has ties to lots of unsavoury people but nothing could ever be proven."

"What makes you so certain then he's your man?" Howard asked.

Tony shrugged. "We don't know but it's a place to start. I hacked SHIELD and had JARVIS go through their documentation. There's a note stating a delivery to one of Hunter's subsidiaries. Could be nothing," Tony admitted. "Or it could be something."

"If we could get a look at his phone, his contacts might tell us something useful," Steve added.

"He's also known for playing things close to the chest. He doesn't keep records anywhere, but even he needs to keep track of thing somewhere," Tony's voice trailed off.

"So you think his phone might give you answers?" Howard wondered.

Tony shrugged. "No one knows that every Stark phone has a tracker implanted in its core. It records movement, at least for about fourteen days or so before it starts overwriting the information again."

"Why?" Howard wondered.

"Accident," Tony answered with a grin. "I was playing around with a new prototype. Didn't realize that they would use this one to start production. And once it was out there, I didn't feel like recalling it. It isn't as if anyone but me could activate it. And I've got better things to do than to spy on people."

"Still," Steve said. "If someone found out, this could be bad."

Tony only grinned. "Bad like being responsible for countless deaths thanks to my excellent weapons? Or bad as in some people will feel offended?"

"Tony," Steve protested but the guy just waved him off.

"The point is," Natasha brought them back on topic. "Hunter has one of the new Stark phones. If we can clone it, the stored data might give us a lead."

"Can't you just haul his ass in and interrogate the information out of him?" Howard wanted to know. Wasn't this what shadowy government organisations did?

"Since this isn't official SHIELD business and we got no probable cause, no."

"We also don't want to tip him off," Natasha added to Steve's comment.

It was then Howard nodded the pointed look Natasha was giving him. Something clicked in his mind. He smiled evilly. "You said he had a type? Tall, dark and handsome?" He spread his hands, making a show of looking himself up and down. "I think I fit the bill, no?"

"Out of the question," Steve said almost immediately.

"Why?" Howard asked. "I don't see any other option. Tony's too well known, even I know that. You're blond, and also quite famous. Natasha is a woman. No amount of camouflage is going to cure that. The other blond guy isn't here..."

"Thor," Tony helpfully supplied.

"You can't use SHIELD agents...so you're left with me. I'm the type you're looking for and, more importantly, no one will recognize my face."

"Howard's been dead for a while," Tony pointed out, looking thoughtful. "And truth to be told, you don't look like any of the photos I've seen of Dad. Your hair's different, you don't have a beard...and most importantly, who in their right mind is going to look at you and think you're my dead father from another universe who travelled into the future..."

"He's got a point," Howard gave Tony a nod. "Look, it's up to you. If this is really important, and if you need someone you can trust, you can use me."

Unless they didn't trust him either...

"Fine," Steve relented. "But you're wearing a wire."

"No," Natasha declared with conviction. "Hunter is smart. He'll scan for it. Besides," she looked at Howard. "You'll have to get him to come to you. Let him approach you. Then, distract him. I'll bump into the two of you, take his phone. Keep him occupied until I can bring it back. Shouldn't take longer than ten minutes. There's no need to worry about Howard getting lost. You're not leaving the bar."

Howard only nodded. He might enjoy a challenge but he wasn't stupid.

##

The bar was unlike any bar he'd ever come across. The music was loud, people scantily dressed, and everyone seemed to be twitching rather crazily to the sound of the beat. He'd vetoed Tony when he'd offered to get him a suit for tonight.

Granted, he hadn't realized the bar would be so different to what he knew, but he was pretty certain a guy like Hunter wasn't going to look for another business man to hook up. No, he would be looking for a pretty face, for easy prey.

So instead of Tony's advice, he'd decided to wear faded blue jeans, boots and a loose fitting dark green shirt. The fabric might not cling to his body but he knew how to wear clothes to set off his assets.

Trying to bait a man like Hunter wasn't achieved by waving a red flag in front of his face. Howard might not have met the man in person, but after browsing through the information in the file Natasha had provided, he'd drawn up a battle plan.

Steve had thrown a fit when Howard had tried to take of his bandages. So, here he was, dressed to kill (hopefully) with two white bandages on his wrist. Maybe he could go for cute and vulnerable? On the other hand, most people would just assume he'd tried to off himself...

He lazily strolled through the dancing people, making sure to be as graceful as possible. Not once did he look towards the rear where Hunter's private table was located. Since he owned the bar, he'd made sure to reserve the prime spot for himself. Howard couldn't fault logic like that. He would've done the same thing.

Once he reached the bar, he ordered whiskey. He drowned one shot before ordering another. Glass in hand, he turned again, leaning against the wooden frame of the bar. He propped his elbows up, looking as comfortable as he possibly could.

He scanned the room, as if he was looking for someone to hook up with for the night. His gaze found Hunter's. Their eyes locked. Instead of acknowledging him, Howard casually continued to scan the room, as if he hadn't noticed Hunter at all.

If something was going to catch the attention of a man like Hunter, it would be being ignored.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Howard saw Hunter get up. As he made his way through the people towards the bar, Howard smiled at the brunette next to him. He leaned forward, starting up a dull conversation.

They'd barely exchanged a few words when Hunter bullied his way in between them.

"Hey!" Howard objected, frowning at Hunter. "I was talking to her."

"You don't need to talk to her any longer," Hunter drawled, leaning into Howard's space. "You found what you've been looking for."

"Have I?" Howard raised an eye brow. He leaned back, out of Hunter's space. "What makes you think I'm into men at all?"

Hunter smirked. "Aren't you? A handsome guy like you? Surely you aren't limiting yourself to one gender. Would be perfectly sinful of you."

Despite knowing the guy was the enemy, Howard couldn't keep from grinning. Hunter was wrong. He'd never dallied with men. Women had been it for him all this time. Still, it wasn't as if he hadn't been looking. Especially when Steve chose to wander around shirtless.

He'd never entertained the notion of being with another man. However, he had been looking. So Hunter might be right, he might be attracted to both. And apparently in this time, liking both wasn't a problem.

He swallowed. Something to consider. 

"I could be," Howard slowly mused. He shifted his stance so their bodies brushed against each other.

"10 000 Dollars?"

Howard blinked. What was it with people thinking he was a hooker? Still, this was his opening. Besides, he felt very flattered by the huge amount of money offered. Sure, Hunter might be filthy rich, but it was balm of Howard's ego to be wanted this much, even if he had no intention of taking the money or of following through. It was the principle which mattered.

"That's an awful lot of money," he objected. He sounded lame even to his ears, but it did the trick.

Hunter reached out, using his thumb to trace a line underneath Howard's right eye.

"Excuse me," Natasha in her best bimbo outfit slurred.

"Get lost," Hunter shoved her away from him, as if he was swatting at a fly. Howard didn't dare break eye contact, he didn't want to give anything away. 

His heart was hammering inside his chest, and it wasn't just because of adrenalin flooding his system.

Hunter might be the villain in this piece but he was a handsome man. The suit was clearly tailor made, the dark brown hair neatly trimmed, and the eyes smouldering hot.

Yes, Howard thought, keeping up the ruse of being enticed by the offer wasn't going to be hard.

"What are you drinking?" Hunter asked. Before Howard could reply, the barkeep returned with a bottle. Hunter refilled Howard's glass, sliding it over to him.

Howard emptied it in one go before placing it back onto the bar.

"Sir," someone interrupted them. "Your phone."

The guy, probably a body guard of some sort, handed a phone to Hunter. Hunter quickly took the call without saying a word. When he was done, he continued to hold the phone in his hands.

Howard tried not to stare at it. If the body guard had been holding on to Hunter's phone, what device had Natasha then stolen? A decoy? Would be smart, Howard mused. Who would assume you're bodyguard is holding your actual phone? Especially if you carry one around with you...

"Let's go," Hunter grabbed Howard by his upper arm. He tugged, and Howard followed. If he broke cover now, they wouldn't get another chance to get close to Hunter. But how was he supposed to get what they needed?...Oh...his eyes widened a bit. He still had his brilliant code. If he could place his phone next to Hunter's...his code could make the transition, gather information and then make the jump back.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Upstairs," Hunter answered. "This is my bar. I got private rooms for just such an occasion."

"Of course you do," Howard muttered low enough so no one heard it.

Once they were upstairs, Hunter led him into a nice little room. It didn't have much in it but it had a bed. How obvious.

Hunter put his phone onto a table. Howard decided now was the time to take out his own.

"What are you doing?" Hunter snatched Howard's phone out of his hands.

"Hey?" Howard pretended to make a grab for it. "What are _you_ doing?"

The bodyguard from before came up, restraining Howard so Hunter could read his text.

"What's wrong with you?" Howard demanded to know. "I'm only texting my brother that I'll be late. You don't know how he is. If I don't tell him I'll be home late, he'll be insufferable tomorrow."

As far as explanations went, it was weak. Still, it was simple enough, so it might work. Since he didn't have many contacts yet in his phone, claiming to be texting friends would've been stupid. Why he'd picked Tony, he couldn't say. It was just the first name that had come to his mind.

Hunter gestured at the goon to let him go. Howard didn't even have to pretend to be pissed off as he massaged his hurting upper arms.

"I finished it for you," Hunter declared, putting the phone onto the table.

With an exaggerated huff, Howard ignored him, and walked towards the table. He quickly opened up the text message, checking to see if Howard was telling the truth. While he did that, he encouraged his special code to make the jump.

"Come here," Hunter ordered.

Howard put down the phone. He slowly turned, narrowing his eyes on Hunter. He needed to stall. Hell, he needed a plan. His code would only take a few minutes to do its job, but it wasn't as if he could just run out of here. This wasn't the 18 hundreds where he could claim to be a shrieking virgin who'd just changed his mind.

He couldn't arouse Hunter suspicion, otherwise any information gathered would be useless. Which left him precisely with one option: to go through with it.

Well, clearly he needed to evaluate his plan making skills. Somehow this particular turn of events had escaped his notice.

To buy himself some time, he slowly walked towards the guy. It wasn't as if he wasn't curious. Now that his eyes had been opened, he wouldn't mind exploring sex with another guy. But there was something about Hunter which didn't sit right with him. It didn't precisely make his skin crawl, but it also didn't have his senses hum in anticipation.

Still, sex was sex, right? And touching Hunter wasn't going to be a hardship. Since getting it up had never been a problem for him before, he didn't think he would have to worry about it. So this might not be something he would've chosen willingly but it would do.

Pleasure was pleasure, right?

"What's your name? You can call me Alex."

Somehow Howard got the impression _Alex_ would rather be called Master or Sir than by his first name but he didn't voice his thoughts.

"Howard," he answered.

Hunter chuckled. "Quite an old fashioned name."

Howard shrugged.

"Why didn't you change it? Pick a nick name? Something less...boring."

Howard stopped before Hunter, staring him straight in the eyes. He'd never really thought about his name before. It was his. And wasn't this the point? "It's my name," he answered. "Just because it might not fit into the current mould, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. Just like I am who I am. I'm not changing a single thing just because others say so."

He hadn't aimed for approval, or any kind of understanding coming from Hunter. So when he got it, he didn't quite know what to do with it.

Hunter grabbed him. He pulled him close, and into a heated kiss. Howard gasped. For a few seconds he was too startled to remember what kissing entailed. Then, he took the plunge head first. The only way he was going to be able to cover that he had no clue what sex with a guy entailed was to be aggressive, to be active.

Well, theoretically he knew how sex between two men worked. Even back in his own time he hadn't been _that_ oblivious. But there was always a difference between knowing and actually experiencing it.

And if Hunter figured out he hadn't done this before, well, it would blow his cover to kingdom come.

He didn't protest when Hunter forced him down on his knees. He looked up. Hunter used his finger to play with Howard's lower lip. With a smirk, he took the digit into his mouth, sucking on it.

The sharp intake of breath from Hunter told him all he needed to know.

"Come on, get to it," Hunter urged. 

For a few seconds, Howard didn't know what he meant. Then his eyes found the bulge before him. _Oh._

Could he really do this? It wasn't as if he wasn't interested...but in a way this didn't feel right.

Still, no choice, right?

When he started fumbling with Hunter's belt, the door swung open. With a loud clack it banged against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tony strolled in, yelling and waving. "I can't leave you alone for five seconds!"

Howard blinked. What the hell?

Since he didn't know what else to do, he got back up onto his feet. He walked to the table, pocketing his phone. "I don't see how you are allowed to tell me what I can and can't do," he protested. Did Tony want to pick a fight? What kind of plan was this?

"Argh!" Tony theatrically threw his arms up into the air. Howard had to give him credit, he knew how to make a scene. "Didn't the docs say no strenuous exercise? What would you call this?"

"A blow job," Howard replied snarkily. He had no clue where Tony was going with this but he knew enough to play along.

"You're Tony Stark," Hunter walked forward, looking more like a panther about to pounce than like a business man. "What's your business with him?"

"He's my brother!" Tony shouted. "And he's supposed to be recovering!" Tony gestured rather pointedly at Howard's bandages.

Without waiting for anyone to recover from the shock of that statement, Tony grabbed Howard's hand and dragged him from the room.

They practically ran down the stairs and out the front door where a dark limo was already waiting for them. Tony shoved Howard into the car before he got into it himself.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Howard could only gape like a fish on dry land. Before he could explain himself and his plan, Tony continued to yell. "You were about to give the guy a blow job! Who knows what else you would've done too! You aren't even gay!"

With wide eyes Tony stared at him. Howard couldn't really make out much, the car was too dark for it, but the passing street lamps did shed enough light to make out some facial features. "Is this contagious too? Not only is my father crazy, he's also a whore?"

Howard reeled back as if he'd been slapped. From the shocked look on Tony's face, it was obvious the guy hadn't intended to say it. Still, words couldn't be unsaid. Howard turned, making a point out of staring out the window.

Instead of offering up an apology, even a weak one, Tony chose to stay silent.

When they reached the tower, Howard didn't wait for Tony. He jumped out of the car and quickly made his way inside. Sadly the elevator didn't come quick enough so he couldn't avoid sharing it on the way up.

"What were you thinking?" Steve rounded in on him as soon as he stepped off it.

Howard side stepped him only to be blocked by Natasha. She gave him a nod.

"He did the only thing he could," she declared.

"He was about to go down on a guy!" Tony hollered. Why was he so hung up on that fact? One of the first things Howard had done once he figured out how to use the Internet was google his supposed son. And from all accounts Tony was an equal opportunity lover. Why was he so bent out of shape over what might've happened? Couldn't be homophobia, since Tony enjoyed men and women equally.

No, must be because he can't stand me, Howard thought. Strangely this notion hurt. Normally he avoided thinking about their complex relationship. How was anyone supposed to deal with a son from an alternate him who was actually older than he was?

He wasn't Tony's father, but genetically he was...it hurt is brain just to attempt to think about it. And being found this wanting in Tony's eyes, well, it wasn't pleasant.

"The mission was compromised," Natasha icily said. "He did what any good agent would do. He played the cover out till the end. If he had made a run for it without us having what we need, we wouldn't even have a chance of getting close to Hunter again. The guy is too paranoid to allow something like that to happen. Even if he couldn't prove that Howard was a set up, he would be suspicious. So he did what I would've done."

Tony opened his mouth, probably to say something offensive again, but Howard had enough. He didn't even think about it, he just reacted. He balled his finger into a tight first, and then he firmly punched Tony in the face.

Silence followed.

Without a second glance, he turned, and walked away.

##

"What did you say to him?" Steve rounded on Tony.

Tony didn't want to face him, so he walked towards the bar where he poured himself a generous glass.

"Steve..." Natasha tried to mediate without success.

"What did you say to him?"

"I might've accused him of being a whore," Tony mumbled. "But you didn't see him!" he justified himself. "He was on his knees! He would've given the guy a blow job if I hadn't walked in and rescued him!"

"Yes, about that," Natasha now glared at him. "What were you thinking? Now Hunter knows Howard is connected to you."

"Don't worry," Tony waved at her. "He doesn't suspect a thing. He did recognize me, but I played the part of concerned brother."

"You don't have a brother," Steve calmly pointed out. Anyone but Tony might've picked up on the dangerous vibes in the room. Tony just sipped his drink.

"So? I have now," he casually answered. Sure, he might've improvised, but his rather sketchy idea was turning out to be actually quite brilliant. "JARVIS," he said out loud. "Start the process to give Howard here a new identity as my father's illegitimate love child. Howard Leighton, yes, a good name. Can you get started on this?"

"Of course, Sir."

"You're claiming Howard as your younger brother?" Steve didn't only sound confused, he also looked perplexed.

"Yes," Tony nodded, revelling in how the alcohol seemed to calm his still jumping nerves. "Or would you rather we explain to the world who Howard really is?"

"Not bad, Tony," Natasha conceded. "However, you still took a risk by barging in like that."

"Would you have rather let him go through with it? Hunter might not have had a gun to his head, but this is Howard Stark we're talking about! He liked the ladies, not the guys. This would've been akin to rape!"

Tony gulped. He hadn't actually thought about it like that until now. When he'd heard Natasha swear over their comm link, telling him that the phone she'd pick pocketed was useless, he'd felt it in his gut something was going to go wrong. And then Natasha had told him Howard was following Hunter up the stairs...well...he'd just reacted!

Steve looked ashen. He hurried out of the room. Natasha looked as if she wanted to stop him and then thought better of it.

"You need to get over this," she told him. Her voice was gentler now, no longer full of ice.

"You don't know..." Tony started to say but Natasha silenced him with one look.

"I don't need to know what happened between you and your father. Your Daddy issues have been documented for everyone to read on the Internet. I can't even imagine what it must be like to have your father here again, alive, younger, different...and yet still the same old man you so obviously seem to hate."

Tony swallowed hard. Conflicted didn't even sum this up.

"However, you do obviously care about him," she continued. "You wouldn't have been so angry with him otherwise. Maybe you should go ahead with your idea..."

"What idea..."

"Maybe you should start thinking of Howard as your younger brother...and not as your father in a younger body. He isn't the man you knew. You won't be able to act rationally around him unless you put your father to rest."

"Easier said than done," Tony grumbled.

Instead of offering up some platitude, Natasha simply kissed his cheek before walking out. Tony gloomily stared into his drink. She was right. He just wasn't sure he could do it.

But there was no point in denying the stab of fear he'd felt when he'd learned that Howard had vanished with Hunter. Tony didn't need anyone in his life. Never had, and he wasn't about to start now. Still, Howard, in a very fucked up way, was family. And family mattered.

Even he still wanted to throw Howard out the window to shake some sense into him. Tony paused. Was this how Howard had felt when Tony had been younger?

Besides, considering how much Howard seemed to like to fling himself off and out of buildings, maybe throwing him out of a window to teach him some sense wasn't going to work.

Tony sighed. He rubbed his jaw, thinking hard.

What should he do?

##

Steve paused before Howard's bed, staring down at the sleeping man. He really shouldn't have let himself in. And yet, he couldn't leave. Howard had come so close to something Steve's mind couldn't even articulate...

Steve's lost so many people he'd cared about, he couldn't lose Howard too. But was this the only reason he was so intensely focused on him?

Even back when he'd been with Peggy, he'd always known where Howard was. And it hadn't been Peggy who'd consoled him when Bucky had died. It had been Howard who'd taken him out for tour of the local bars. Sure, Steve hadn't been able to get drunk, but he'd been able to let his hair down, he'd been able to grief by pretending to be drunk.

It might not seem like much but it had meant the world to Steve.

He inched closer. As if Howard could sense his presence, his eyes fluttered opened. He stared up at Steve for a few seconds before he turned over in bed, freeing up one side for him.

"Get in or leave," Howard's voice could barely be heard but Steve heard it nonetheless. 

Once Steve had taken off his clothes, clad only in his undergarments, he carefully crawled into bed. He tried not to wake up Howard but he was apparently dead to world. Steve settled on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

He shouldn't be here. Howard shouldn't have invited him into his bed. And yet, he'd never felt so content.

Seconds later he was asleep.

##

Not too far away, someone snarled at a kneeling man. "If you can't bring him in alive, kill him."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I managed to successfully not give the game away in the previous chapter. I was purposefully vague about Hunter. And...well...don't forget, Howard is from an alternate universe! Despite the similarities, some things might be vastly different!

Waking up for some might be a gradual process. For Howard, it had always been a sharp return to consciousness. One moment there was nothing but the quiet of darkness, and the next, he was wide awake.

He opened his eyes, staring at the rather bland looking wall. He was no stranger to having sex with people he didn't know, but he usually never let anyone sleep with him. Inviting someone into his bed to spend the night required a certain level of trust he usually avoided.

And yet, in the dark hours of last night, he had invited Steve to stay. Steve might be long gone from the bed but the indentations he left behind didn't let Howard chalk it all up to a dream.

He reached out, gently touching the pillow. It was cold. Steve must've been gone for a while then. Carefully, as not to disturb the shape, he traced the outline. He'd shared a bed with Steve and slept like a baby. Did this mean something?

He never noticed how attractive Steve was. Correction, he'd noticed, but he had thought nothing of it. If dallying with Hunter had taught him anything then it was that he was at least curious what it would be like to actually get down to business with another guy.

Despite his attraction to Steve, he might not be the right candidate for it. Steve might not even be into guys at all. Probably wasn't considering how he'd mooned over Peggy. Still, if Howard had changed why not Steve.

Still, he considered Steve to be a friend. He liked the guy. Risking friendship just to sate his curiosity might not be the smartest move he'd ever made.

With a heavy sigh he decided to stop thinking about it. If he went down this road, it wouldn't be long before he started to analyse why Steve had crawled into bed with him last night. In the mood he was currently in, his mind would be doing cartwheels if he didn't get anything worthwhile to occupy himself with.

The phone...his eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten about the success of the mission last night.

He grabbed a few clothes, threw them on, and ran from the room. "JARVIS?" he asked as he hurried towards the elevator. "Where's Tony?"

"Sir and the others have gone to a meeting at SHIELD HQ," JARVIS answered.

The news momentarily stopped Howard in his tracks. He could wait...nah, he wasn't one to postpone things. He changed his course, heading for his lab instead.

Once there, he placed his phone onto the station, hooking it up to the system. His alien code had been busy. With the decryption already cracked, he quickly scrolled through the information. He couldn't figure out how to access Tony's tracking information but he wasn't overly bothered by it. Once Tony got back from his meeting, he could have at it.

He scrolled through tons of information. There were calendar entries, phone directories, a few files...too many things for him to go through. Without the necessary background information about the guy and about the current times, he wouldn't be able to tell what was important and what was not.

He was about to just let it go when something caught his attention. At first glance there wasn't anything different about the folder. There were tons of them, all labelled in different ways. This one didn't _seem_ to be any different, and yet...there was something about it...as if it was winking at him, daring him to open it. Clearly he was seeing things.

Since he was never one to deny himself his impulses, he clicked on it. It opened, almost painstakingly slow. His eyes widened. He tilted his head sideways as if the gesture could somehow make him see the picture in a different light. No, the content didn't change.

Pre-serum Steve was staring back at him, his arm slung over a handsome brown-haired man. Howard swallowed hard.

With deft fingers he uploaded the picture onto the main drive. He then ran a facial recognition programme. 

It didn't even take a few seconds to come back with an answer.

_Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes._

He skimmed the articles, the frown on his forehead increasing with every word he read. How could this be? He'd never heard of a Sergeant James Buchannan Barnes. In his universe, Steve had been on his own. From what he could tell, events had happened the same way, with the only exception of one Bucky Barnes. 

Before he could think twice about it, or stop himself from doing something stupid, he dialled the number programmed into the phone for Hunter's office.

"Tell Hunter this is Howard from last night. It is urgent that I speak to him," he told the assistant before she could utter a word. In his experience the best way to deal with assistants was to bowl right over them. If he gave them only a chance, they would simply make excuses and hang up on him. It was their job, of course, but in those instances it came in handy to be a bit of a bastard.

He wasn't prepared though for how easily he got what he wanted. The woman barely paused before saying, "One moment please."

Had Hunter honestly expected him to call? Smug bastard.

"I should've realized you would do something stupid like clone my phone," Hunter drawled. The weird thing was he didn't sound put out at all. More exasperated than anything else.

"You got ten seconds to tell me why your face is all over the internet under a different name." Howard threatened. What he would use to back up his demand, he didn't know. Still, in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Not over the phone," Hunter replied. "Meet me. This is something we should do face to face."

Despite knowing better than to agree to anything like this, Howard went along with the plan. After hanging up, Hunter texted him the location plus instructions on how to get there. Irritation rose with him, like bile in his throat. He could find his own way, thank you very much. He wasn't some kind of idiot who didn't know how to read a map. Or ask for directions.

He was still grinding his teeth when reached the elevator. "Tell Tony the information he's looking for is uploaded on the SERVER."

"I will inform Sir," JARVIS predictably answered. A few seconds later, the AI sounded almost scolding when it said, "I no longer have orders to prohibit you from leaving but those orders were given with the understanding that you knew better than to do so."

Howard almost laughed. The way JARVIS voiced his disappointment in him was very effective.

When Howard didn't change his course, JARVIS continued. "I will inform Sir immediately."

Honestly, Howard hadn't expected anything else. And yes, he was well aware that leaving the tower on his own could be considered to be the height of stupidity. But if he asked anyone else to come with him so he could meet up with a known criminal they would lock him up and throw away the key. And he couldn't even say he would blame them!

At least this time he didn't have to leave by hurling himself off a roof or by jumping through a window. With the excellent modern transport system, it didn't take him long to reach their meeting spot. He wandered around a bit until he found Hunter by the waterfront. His back was to him, looking very much like a man who didn't have a care in the world.

Howard however noticed how tense the guy was, and how he minutely shifted the moment he approached. He might look as if he wasn't paying attention but he clearly was.

He joined Hunter by staring out over the water with him.

"Explain to me," Howard started at the same time was Hunter shifted towards him, saying, "How come you didn't recognize me?"

Both men grinned somewhat sheepishly. Hunter gestured for Howard to go first. "Shouldn't you be?" Maybe not the best opening question but, he figured, the most important one. Before Hunter could answer, the green-blue eyes caught his attention. "Didn't you have green eyes last night?"

"I did," Hunter, well, Barnes, answered. "The best camouflage is to keep it simple. First of all, no one who looks at me expects me to actually be James Barnes. Second, by changing my eye colour I'm adding a subtle difference to my look. Haven't you noticed before how it is the simple things that can alter an entire image?"

Howard simply nodded. It was true. Small things could make all the difference. Still, as far as a cover went, changing eye colour seemed somewhat...minimalistic.

"It isn't as if someone is still around to really recognize," Barnes continued. "Most fans of Captain America treat his friends and comrades as foot notes. Even those more zealous fans would easily dismiss any likeness between me and the fallen hero as sheer happenstance. People usually are like sheep. They accept the status quo without asking too many questions."

Again, Howard couldn't really fault Barnes' logic. Still, so far the guy hadn't actually answered how _he was still alive and kicking_!

"Which brings me to my first question," Barnes continued. "I recognized you the moment you walked into the bar. How come you didn't know who I was?"

"You recognized me straight away?" Howard somewhat dumbly asked.

Barnes gave an amused snort. "You honestly didn't believe that your appearance alone was what drew me to you? There were tons of pretty men and women in that club. Why on earth would you assume I would be interested in you after just one glance?"

Howard didn't blush. He really didn't.

"You did, didn't you?" Barnes, smelling a weakness, went on. The wicked gleam in his eyes was something Howard easily recognized even if he didn't know the man.

"How come you're still alive?" Howard tried to steer the conversation back on track.

"Answer me first," Hunter demanded.

Howard could've easily argued back and forth for a while. Frankly, a huge part wanted to. There was simply something about Barnes which made him want to contradict the guy at every possible turn. Despite still finding him very attractive. Maybe, after falling through the void between universes, his sense had gotten scrambled.

Even though some, Peggy included, would surely argue that he'd never had any sense to begin with.

Well, there was no way to phrase what happened to him in any way which didn't sound crazy. "I was at the centre of an explosion which not only destroyed my world, it also annihilated my entire universe. For some reason instead of killing me, the blast through me across the void and I landed here."

To give Barnes credit, the guy only stared at him – for a good while. "You're not kidding."

"No."

"And in your world we never met?"

"You didn't exist," Howard replied. "As far as I can tell, Steve's story is still the same...just...minus you."

"Makes sense."

Howard tried his best not to imitate a gaping fishwife. "Makes sense?" he intoned. "You believe me?" It wasn't as if he wanted Barnes to argue but why was he accepting his story at face value?

Barnes gave him a droll look. "I don't think anyone could come up with a crazy story like this. So it must be true. Plus, my story isn't much better." He cleared his throat. "Here, I was captured behind enemy lines. Steve rescued me and the rest, as they say is history."

Howard nodded. He might not have read the entire biography of Barnes or Steve but he'd skimmed over the details this morning.

"What neither one of us knew, was that the experiments they ran on me while I was captured had already changed me. When I fell from the train, I didn't die. Any normal human would've but not me." Barnes stopped for a few seconds. Howard could clearly see he didn't want to dredge up those memories but he did it anyway.

"To keep it short, I was experimented on and brainwashed. I spent the next decades on ice, only defrosted to kill people."

"What changed?"

"I was a mission like any other," Barnes eventually answered. "I killed the guy. It should've been over right then. Instead, I saw my face on a wall. They guy was huge fan of Captain America. But unlike most people that seemed to include Barnes as well."

"Then what happened?"

Barnes shrugged. "My programming might've demanded I return to base but my curiosity won out. Maybe their wipes weren't affective anymore, who knows..." Barnes' voice trailed off for a minute before he continued. His eyes took a faraway look. "I stayed in the mark's flat for a few days doing research. I might missed a few years here and there but I got put into action often enough to be aware of the changing times."

"You found out who you were..."

"I don't remember," Barnes told him quickly. "I sometimes get flashes, but what I know of Bucky Barnes I only know because I read about it. Still, it showed me I was more than a mere weapon."

"You went after them," Howard followed the thought to its only logical conclusion. "You wiped them all out so no one could do the same thing to you again."

Barnes shrugged. "It took a few years but, as far as I can tell, any trace of the Winter Soldier is now gone. My name is now only whispered, considered to be nothing more than a ghost story."

Howard nodded. What a tale.

"I created Alex Hunter, set up shop and haven't looked back twice."

"Why didn't you tell Steve?" Howard asked eventually. "He would've been thrilled to learn you're alive."

"And tell him what?" Barnes shot back with hostility. "I'm not the man he knew. Why rip open old wounds for no good reason at all? Better stay clear of him, better for everyone concerned."

"Well," Howard slowly said. "You might not have that option for long."

"You threatening me?" the cold menace in Barnes' voice might be dropped lesser men to their knees, shivering with dread. Howard had been through too much to be affected by it. Or maybe he just didn't have any sense of self preservation. It really depended on who you asked.

"No," he answered. "But I uploaded all information from your phone onto the SERVER. Tony will look at it. And so will Steve. The only reason why you weren't made last night was because Tony was too worried about me. And because Steve hadn't actually seen your picture or read your file. He was out in the van monitoring everything."

Howard watched as Barnes took a deep breath. "I could vanish," he said so casually it gave Howard shivers.

"You could," Howard admitted. "I might have not known Tony for long but I doubt you would be able to hide for long if he sets his mind on finding you. And Steve? He's like a dog with a bone at times."

Barnes looked quite unhappy as it finally sunk in. He flexed his left hand, drawing Howard's attention toward it. "Why are you wearing gloves? You even wore them last night."

Barnes stared at him for a few seconds, his gaze searching for something. Whatever it was, he must've found it. He held up his hand, peeling back the edge of the glove and hiking up his jumper a little bit. He exposed a metal arm.

"What the...?"

"I lost my arm in the fall. They gave me this instead."

"If this is your trademark," Howard observed, "how do you keep your identity a secret?"

Barnes smiled. There was no warmth in it which made the facial expression all the more chilling. "Hunter is an invalid. Car accident. Lost his left arm to it. For official reasons I have a prosthetic I can use."

"Your weapon only comes out for special occasions? I'm flattered," Howard couldn't quite help himself or from poking the bear – so to speak.

"You are even cheekier than I remember," Barnes told him.

It was now Howard's turn to shrug. He wouldn't call himself cheeky, more like speaking his mind.

"I need you to promise me something." Howard could easily hear the subtext. _I need you to promise me something on the pain of death_.

"I might not be able to stop Steve from finding out I'm alive but he doesn't need to know about my past as the Winter Soldier."

"How...oh..." Howard's voice trailed off. "You're going to admit to being experimented on and on escaping...not on the brainwashing and killing people bit."

"Exactly." Barnes nodded. "Nothing good can come from dragging up that piece of old information. Not only would it point people my way again, it would also make everyone's life more problematic."

"I thought you've said you killed all of them."

Barnes raised an eye brow at him. "You think a secret like the Winter Soldier doesn't leave a trace anywhere? I have eliminated everyone I could find. I burnt entire facilities, destroyed countless data but I'm pretty sure I didn't account for every lab tech they might've had. I doubt they could recreate the programme any more but it could make my life difficult if anyone were to find out the Winter Soldier is still alive."

"All right," Howard easily agreed. He didn't approve of lying per se but he could not fault Barnes for wanting to keep that bit hidden. Besides, he had every faith in Steve. He would dig the truth out of Barnes sooner or later. Either way, it really wasn't his problem to deal with.

"And by the way," Barnes continued. "I'm not the one responsible for the missing weapons at your SHIELD facility."

The sudden change in topic through Howard for a loop. But only for a few seconds, he was quick like that.

"If you weren't responsible, how do you know about the theft?" he countered.

Barnes simply gave him a look. "Please," he drawled. "Weapons are my business. I know about all the important deals going on in my city even if I have no part in them. Can't leave the riff raff unsupervised, right? They might get ideas..."

"So if you aren't responsible, who is?"

"I don't know," Barnes admitted. "Frankly, I only found out about it last night. I found it quite odd you would cosy up to me like that. I didn't understand why you acted as if you didn't know me, or what the whole thing was about, but it smelled fishy to me. So I asked around to see if anything troubling was going on. This is my city after all. It is only natural for people to point fingers my way if something happened. And I rather like to only take the blame for things I'm actually responsible for."

Howard swallowed. If Barnes wasn't behind the theft, who would dare encroach on his space? Even before knowing the guy was a feared assassin, it would've been stupid. Barnes was just a very successful arms dealer, he was _the_ man to speak to in the city. For someone to pull off something major like this, and to dare to point the finger at him, well, it either took balls of steel or was a new height of stupidity.

The way Barnes looked he seemed to be unable to decide too.

"You've got now idea who might've pulled this off?"

"What makes you think the weapons actually left SHIELD?"

The question stumped Howard.

"Think about it," Barnes continued. "If you think this was an inside job, why do you assume they took the risk of shipping the weapons? Must easier to re-label them, store them at SHIELD HQ and then have them legally shipped out, masquerading as something else."

The plan was ingenious. So simple, it bordered on brilliance.

"What makes you think they are still there?"

"Because I heard nothing about a high grade weapons sale. I would've been the one they would've contacted since I'm the one with most contacts." Barnes said not without some pride. "But even if they would've tried to offload them through someone else, word would've spread by now. Thieves do like to gossip."

"So if there isn't any gossip out there," Howard continued. "It stands to reason the weapons might've never left."

"They might not want to sell them. They might want to keep them and use them themselves."

This line of thinking opened up a whole new way to think about this. If Barnes was right, and Howard didn't think he was wrong, then he needed to let Tony and the others know as soon as possible.

He didn't much care for SHIELD himself, frankly, to him it sounded more or less like any government organisation out there, but if the others cared, he should at least tread cautiously.

Two things suddenly happened at once. Barnes barrelled into him and a loud shot rang out. Pain lanced through Howard's shoulder, clouding his thoughts for a few precious moments. He wasn't even aware he was clutching at his clothes, trying to press down to halt the blood flow.

Barnes had somehow managed to drag him towards a parked car. Howard sort of just laid there like a limp noodle while Barnes kept firing shots at nothing. Well, nothing at least as far as Howard could make out.

Not to be outdone by an assassin, Howard forced his body into a sitting position. He then carefully peaked over the car only to be yanked back again by his hair.

"Owwww," he protested.

"What do you think you're doing?" Barnes hissed.

Before Howard could reply, Barnes started firing again. At the same time, he pulled Howard to his feet. He more or less forced him to run beside him, using his own body to protect him. It rankled Howard to be put into the role of damsel in distress but there wasn't much he could do about it right now.

He put his foot down though when Barnes shoved him through a window into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.

"I'm not some doll you can push around," he started.

Barnes ignored him. He just walked away as if Howard wasn't noteworthy at all. Howard sat down where he stood, torn between blowing a gasket because he could barely contain his fury, and howling because of the pain in his shoulder.

If he continued to grit his teeth like that he would need to find a dentist!

Barnes returned with bowl of water, a cloth and a bottle of whiskey.

"Where did you find all of that?"

"The boss' office," Barnes replied. "You can count on people being too lazy to clear out all of their belongings."

He ripped Howard's shirt open. With expert fingers he poked and prodded at the wound.

"The bullet is still in there."

"Fantastic," Howard sarcastically replied. Of course it was.

"I'm going to dig it out." Barnes levelled a look at him. "Here, chew on this. Don't scream. We don't need to draw any attention to our location."

He then roughly shoved something dark and awful tasting into Howard's mouth. Before he could protest at the indignity of it all, his eyes were drawn to the knife in Barnes' hand.

He surely wasn't...

He might've blacked out then because when he came too, a make-shift bandage was wrapped around his shoulder and Barnes was busy emptying the contents of the alcohol.

Howard didn't trust his voice so he just made a grabbing motion at the bottle. With an amused look, Barnes handed it over. Howard finished it. Not that there was much left, but the strong liquid warmed his stomached and chased the ache away a little bit.

"Do you think you can get me to Stark Tower?" Howard asked eventually.

"Might be best," Barnes replied. He rubbed his chin, obviously thinking about it. "I don't know where the leak is but we were found somehow. I'd rather not trust any of my men at the moment. Steve would kill me if something happened to you."

For someone who claimed not to remember anything, he sure as hell sounded as if knew what he was talking about.

Well, Howard couldn't muster up the strength to care. The tower might not be far away, but right now, it might've been on the moon.

"Come on," Barnes urged him to his feet. "Don't worry. I'll get you there in one piece."

Howard snorted. "What about the rest of the city?" he asked in droll humour.

Barnes gave him a funny look. "I make no promises."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought to break the story here...with what is coming next, there wasn't really a good way to break it...well...what did you guys think?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm...hello? *waves awkwardly*
> 
> Almost a year passed since the last update. I am so ashamed. I was in a bad spot and simply couldn't write. I am doing better now, hence the update!
> 
> I hope you guys are still interested!

How they managed to get back to the tower without razing the city to the ground, he didn't know. Truth to be told, he wasn't really much aware of his surroundings. One foot, next foot, previous foot...oh look, anther foot again...

This took up all the gears in his brain, nearly bringing his usually so astute mind to a grinding halt. Somewhere, an almost dead mockingbird, in the far reaches of his brain, kept trying to tell him he probably shouldn't trust a complete stranger...who was also an assassin and an arms dealer.

But Howard was out of options. Frankly, he'd been out of options ever since he landed in this place. Going with the flow was taking on all new meanings for him.

Still, when they stepped into the cool ground floor of the tower, his knees nearly buckled under the heavy weight of relief. If Barnes' grip on his waist wasn't like a steel vice, he would've probably face-planted onto the sparkling floor.

"This way," he motioned with his entire body. Once they reached the private elevator, he keyed in his code. Seconds later the door opened. 

"Shouldn't you be leaving?" Howard asked. He didn't want to sound ungrateful but what was Barnes still doing here? His chances of escaping discovery had been slim to none when they'd met up by the river, if he entered the lion's den, then they were zero. Hell, probably sub-zero if such a category for odds existed.

"Shut up," Barnes snarled. Despite the tone, it wasn't vicious. The guy probably wasn't annoyed with Howard, just with fate.

The doors finally opened. Belatedly Howard realized he hadn't even specified a floor. JARVIS must've taken over and decided to deposit them in the common area. Of course, everyone was assembled.

"Howard!" Steve rushed towards him, not glancing at Barnes at all. Steve took him away from Barnes and ushered him towards a chair.

"Hunter," Tony greeted Barnes. "Fancy meeting you here."

Steve stopped trying to mother hen Howard and turned to look at Hunter. Howard could practically see the world grinding to a halt. Under different circumstances, he might've been interested to record and objectively observed how _universe grinding to a halt_ actually translated into code. Call it idle curiosity. You never knew where the next big invention was going to come from.

"B...Bucky?!" Steve both asked and shouted at the same time. That alone was a feat to remembered for the ages.

Stone-cold assassin and mean guy that he was, Barnes only managed to produce a feeble wave.

Howard snorted.

"Bucky!" This time there was no doubt on anyone's mind that Steve was shouting. He rushed towards Barnes, yanking him into what could only be described as a bone crushing hug.

Howard's gaze shifted to Tony who stood there, in the middle of the room, with a slack jaw. It wasn't a good look on him.

Howard made a mental note to avoid using a similar facial expression himself. Howard had no idea where Natasha was. And come to think of it, the other guy...Clint...he hadn't seen him in a while either. Still, considering he'd gotten kidnapped, participated in a mission, found Steve's long lost best friend...well, he couldn't do everything around here, right?

Steve had finally stopped hugging Barnes to death. Now, the two of them were huddle in a corner, deep in conversation. Howard watched as Tony inched closer, obviously dying to be included.

In the meantime, Howard just kept on bleeding like a stuck pig. Well, he might be exaggerating a little bit. The wound didn't even hurt as much as it had before. Was this good or bad? Either way, nothing could possibly hurt as much as Barnes digging through his flesh so he could yank out a piece of round metal.

Howard shuddered just thinking about it.

Since no one seemed inclined to pay any attention to the wounded guy in the room, Howard heaved himself off the stool. He glanced towards Steve again, not recognizing the clench of his heart for what it was. It would seem now that Steve had found his best pal again, Howard no longer was important.

To avoid doing something stupid, and because he knew he should seek medical attention, Howard staggered out of the room. He might've exaggerated his shuffling feet a little bit just in case someone should look his way. No one did.

He wasn't going to feel sorry for himself, he wasn't. What had he expected? Despite everything, he was a stranger here. Sure, Steve had been practically all over him ever since he got here but it wasn't because of _him_. It was because of the person Steve had lost 70 years ago. And knowing what he did now, he could even admit Steve might've projected missing his best friend onto him. After all, if he couldn't have Bucky to fawn over, Howard would do, right?

Once he was out in the hallway, he leaned against the wall. "JARVIS?" he asked the AI. At least he'd stopped staring at the ceiling every time he asked a question. In the beginning, he hadn't been able to help himself. There was a huge different between understanding JARVIS wasn't a person, he wasn't located somewhere in the ceiling just because the voice seemed to floating down from above, and acting like it.

"I'm sure Tony has medical stuff around here somewhere, right? Where should I go to sow myself up?"

He wasn't looking forward to putting a needle into his flesh but needs must.

"Dr. Banner returned only an hour ago. I would recommend you seek his expertise. He's one floor down, in his lab."

Howard couldn't recall if he'd heard of a Dr. Banner before or not. Frankly, he was starting to feel a bit woozy. Instead of taking the lift, he quickly used the stairs to get below.

Once there, he announced himself by shouting hello. At first nothing happened. Then, a curly dark head came into view.

"Dr. Banner?" Howard asked.

"Bruce, call me Bruce," the handsome guy told him. "You must be Steve's friend, Howard."

Howard aborted his shrug in favour of nodding. "Could I bother you with some assistance?" he asked weakly, jerking his head towards his blood stained shoulder.

Watching Banner turn pale wasn't really the look he'd been hoping for.

"Get in here before you pass out," the man instructed. When Howard shuffled along, he offered assistance. Despite the guy's calm exterior and kind eyes, there was something off about him. Howard couldn't put his finger on it. In a way, he seemed as if he was a volcano ready to erupt. On the surface, only minimal cracks could be seen while underneath it all, the lava was already getting hotter and hotter.

Howard shook his head. He was getting fanciful in his old age. Dottage surely was around the corner.

Getting fixed up didn't take long at all. Mostly Howard just leaned back and though of...nothing.

When he was done, he enjoyed swallowing a few mind-altering pain killers before walking away from Bruce with a huge grin on his face. The guy might be a smouldering volcano about to go poof at any moment but he knew how to work his needle.

Before Howard knew what had happened, it was past midnight and he was face down on the table in what he now considered to be his lab. Huh...Bruce surely must've given him the good stuff.

"Sir," JARVIS startled him. Howard heaved himself off the surface, removing a piece of plastic sticking to his face.

"Yes?"

"I thought you might be interested in knowing Steve and Sir inquired after your well-being. I assured them you were being taken care off and currently working."

Howard blinked. Was the AI concerned he might feel put out if no one had asked about him? He was spot on but still, for an AI to notice a human emotion like that...

"Thanks, JARVIS. I appreciate it," he thanked the AI.

Now...he frowned down onto his work station. What the hell had he donw? He picked up what appeared to be a ring. He turned it, liking its surface...while wondering if his subconscious was trying to tell him something.

He put the ring down. He shook his head at himself. Clearly, he needed to find a bed and get some real rest. He was just about half way out of the chair when his eyes widened. Someone had tried to kill him.

They were no longer trying to kidnap him, now they had moved on to murder!

He wasn't going to stand for it! Something needed to be done...but what? Unless they figured out who was after him, he was never going to have a moment's peace. But how? He knew no one who would want to kidnap him or kill him.

He wasn't anyone special...not at least in the sense that would require such drastic measures. And in this world, he'd even been dead for decades!

An idea dawned on him...a tiny spark slowly taking on shape. What if...what if he wasn't the only one to arrive here?

He frowned, thinking hard. How to go about finding such a person? Parameters, he needed something to narrow down the search. His code did some funny flip flops on the screen. He frowned. This supposed smart code was acting stranger and stranger with every passing hour. Maybe he'd been a little bit too intelligent when he created it?

"I'm calling you Ivy," he declared out of the blue. Either he was going nuts or the code did look pleased. If he really created something sentient out of alien tech, he probably shouldn't tell anyone about it. Alien tech...not the best recommendation for building new, artificial life forms, right?

He intertwined his fingers, stretching them before his torso. "So," he drew out the word. "Let's get this started."

He stared at the screen before he let his thoughts tumble freely from his mouth. "When I arrived, there was some sort of atmospheric disturbance. I'm sure everything is logged either here or over at SHIELD. Use the data and go back in time, through all the available data and search for other similar events."

It always cleared his head when he gave his thoughts form. Most of the times this happened through talking to himself, but, occasionally, he tried other means. Hell, as long as it worked, he wasn't averse to giving anything a go.

He paused for a few seconds to catch his breath. More thoughts and ideas bounced to the forefront of his mind. "Go back 70 years. Hell, go back as far as you can and data is available. Correlate weird atmospheric phenomenon with death notices and new birth records. Or IDs. See if anything stands out."

After a few seconds, he added, "Focus on North America and Europe."

This was a long shot. If he had to include the whole bloody planet, though, then he might never get any answers.

While Ivy did all the work, Howard quickly made himself some strong coffee. What day or night time was it anyway? Did it matter? Steve and Tony might've inquired after him, but the hadn't tried to actually come and get him. He held no delusions about JARVIS keeping anyone out if Tony asked to be let in. Tony was his master after all.

The weird cold feeling pressing around his heart caught him by surprise. Was he, on top of everything else, getting a cold?

On his screen, a few dates with data pockets appeared. He put down the mug and walked back to the station. It would seem Ivy had done a very good job of searching through all the necessary information. And very quickly! He frowned. He rubbed his forehead. Should Ivy be this quick? Surely, there must've been tons of data to go through, places to hack into...etc...

He was done second guessing Ivy though. If she had retrieved something he could actually use, then by all the bloody stars up in the sky, he was going to act on it. He was done being afraid.

He stopped in his tracks. His hands hovered over the table's surface. He'd been afraid. He chest constricted as he tried to suck in a lung full of air. Fear had been such a constant companion, he hadn't even recognized the emotion for what it was!

His eyes narrowed.

"Fuck that," he grounded out through clenched teeth. He was done being afraid, even subconsciously. He was done with reacting to what happened to him, following weird, and probably non-existing lines, to save his sorry ass. It was time for him to actually do something for a change!

After a closer look, there were about five strange atmospheric events to choose from. Over the next few hours, he carefully sieved through the data and eliminated most of them.

Still, once that was done, there were still way too many possibilities left for him to choose from. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Maybe he should try approaching this from a different angle. Whoever had come through with him, must've come from the same facility. True, he was the tech guy, not an agent, so he hadn't bothered with actually looking at the list of names of people who were supposed to be working in the hide out.

But to have come this far in a new world, to be able to hide, trace Howard's arrival...this was no mere underling. 

So there might be a small chance he might actually recognize a name when he saw it. One in a thousand maybe, but hey, he took those odds. He left Ivy to continue running names, eliminating them for him. Every once in a while, he glanced over, looking at the names and shaking his head.

Nothing even remotely stood out to him.

It hadn't taken him long to figure out what the ring was supposed to do. Hell, if medical induced stupors tended to result in such brilliant ideas, he might have to rethink his stance on taking drugs. Just a thought.

If he'd stopped, he might've realized our outlandish his invention was, how unfathomable for current tech. Hell, he was using alien technology again without realizing it, its purpose and beauty seeping into his mind as if belonged there.

He quickly completed the prototype by latching the metal ring around his wrist. Seconds later, he the steady hum of power set his teeth on edge.

Right, but how to actually control it?

Stars appeared before his vision, dancing merrily up and down. A jig?

He rubbed is eyes, seeing stars of a different kind. Leaning closer, he eyed the names on the screen. Ivy had indeed been a very busy girl.

_Klaus Forester_.

The name rang a bell. He frowned. Why? He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. Something was niggling at the back of his mind...something. His eyes widened as realisation sunk in.

_Baron von Wald_!

The connection might be flimsy but it wasn't as if he needed to proof his case in front of a court and jury. He just needed a place to start his investigation, and if it turned out he was wrong, well, no harm no foul, right?

_Wald_ was the German word for _forest_. Sure, as far as clues went, it wasn't anything special. And yet, Howard couldn't quite shake the feeling he was on the right path.

"Get me anything you have on Klaus Forrester," he told Ivy. A few moments later his suspicion solidified.

There was even an address in New York listed among his properties! Howard didn't need to think twice about it. He grabbed his phone and left the lab.

He wasn't going to do anything stupid. No, just checking it out. There was no point in telling anyone about his wild goose chase. Besides, Steve had more pressing matters to attend to, like getting close to his long, not so lost friend.

It was ridiculous to think he might be jealous just because he no longer had Steve's full attention. Hadn't he always suspected he'd been nothing but a substitute for the guy's affection? Hadn't he always thought Steve only cared for him, showed interest in him, because he was his only link to the past?

And no, Howard wasn't feeling sorry for himself. He straightened his spine. He was just going for a walk. Even injured people needed exercise. Besides, the pain killers did work wonders. Just in case, he popped another one. Might come in handy.

"JARVIS," he addressed the ever present AI. "I'm just going for a walk."

"Sir," JARVIS sounded actually concerned. "I don't think it would be wise..."

What would a mating between Ivy and JARVIS produce?

His eyes widened. "Not going there, not going there," he mumbled, sounding and looking like an utter nutter.

"Just around the block," Howard interrupted him. "I won't be long." For good measure he added. "I just need some fresh air."

"Very well."

Howard quickly made his way out of the tower. He didn't want JARVIS to change his mind. Sure, someone was out to get him, but he wasn't a prisoner! Still, if roles were reversed, he would've locked Tony up. Guess he should be glad Tony hadn't inherited Howard's paranoia or independent streak.

He snickered.

People shot him funny glances, so he kept his head down, pretending to mind his own business. Maybe he really shouldn't have taken the last pill.

Thanks to his new phone, and the nifty app on it, he managed to find the address fairly quickly. It wasn't even all that far away from Stark Tower. He leaned against a corner, surveying the area. The old building looked like any other building on the block. A bit worn around the edges but otherwise structurally sound. However, the windows were boarded up, giving it a very desolate look.

It looked as if no one was home. Howard pondered his options for a few seconds before he came to a decision.

He back tracked and approached the building from the rear and the smaller street. He hunched his shoulders and brought up the hoodie of his sweater. He tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as he ducked into the side street adjacent to the run down building. He quickly scanned the area for any hidden cameras. He couldn't find any.

He pried a few boards loose, peaking through them. The window might be a tight fit but he was slim, he could make it. Before taking the plunge, he looked left and right like any good villain would do who was about to do some breaking and entering in a comic movie.

He rolled his eyes at himself. He was just checking things. Nothing was going to go wrong.

Careful with his shoulder, he squeezed himself through the tight space. He waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim light inside the room. Once he could see enough not to trip over his own two feet, he slowly started walking towards the door.

Mindful of potentially creaking hinges, he eased the door open. He followed the dark corridor until he reached the stair case. Up or down?

"So glad you could join us," an amused voice drawled to this right.

Howard didn't jump out of his skin but it was close call. He might've wasted a few precious seconds trying to stop his heart from flying out of his chest, but then he started running towards...well...towards anywhere that wasn't there.

The fist honestly came out of nowhere. Pain exploded in his skull, followed by rapidly encroaching darkness.

##

It was a sad fact. Really it was. He was getting used to waking up aching and bruised. Before a groan could escape his lips, he bit down hard on his tongue. As plans went, this one might've been his stupidest one yet. Still, he didn't have to advertise he was awake, right?

He discreetly flexed his muscles, gauging if he was restraint in any way. He wasn't. Before he could feel thankful about that, he was yanked off the ground into a more or less standing position. Pain exploded everywhere. His skull throbbed as if someone was taking a sledgehammer to it and his shoulder felt as if it was on fire. Maybe it was?

The groan escaped his lips before he stifle it.

"So nice of you to finally join us," the same voice as before told him.

Howard focused his rather bleary gaze upon the man. His eyes roamed over the figure, recognizing the ageing man. "You were there!" he proclaimed somewhat pointlessly.

He couldn't supress the bubble of victory rising inside him. As flimsy as the connection between Baron von Wald and Forest had been, he'd nailed it! Under different circumstances he might've whooped.

"Of course," Forester stood ramrod straight as if he'd swallowed a broom. His dark, piercing eyes held no hint of compassion.

"What do you want with me?" Howard asked. Sure, he wasn't in any position to actually demand answers but it wasn't as if he had much to lose at this point. Didn't villains like to hear themself talk? Or was this another untrue stereotype?

"Can't let you and your talents fall into the wrong hands," the man told him. "If I can't control you, I shall kill you. After all," the guy leaned closer. Even though they weren't close enough to actually touch, Howard had to fight the urge to recoil. Was this was pure evil looked like? "Can't let you possibly work for the enemy, now can I?"

Howard blinked. What talents? Sure, back in his time and universe, he'd been the whizz kid when it came to innovation. But here? He was no slouch, but if he wanted new tech, shouldn't he be targeting people like Tony Stark? Why was he so fascinated with him? And why was he trying to make sense of the ramblings of a lunatic?

Anyone with Forester's background couldn't possibly be sane. After all, the guy had been part of the team playing with the cube. And look how that had turned out! He might not be a poster child for sanity when it came to his own inventions, but Howard firmly drew the line and tinkering with stuff that could blow up the world, universe, whatever.

"I'd rather die," Howard hissed, surprising himself with the sudden burst of courage. He reared back, slamming his already aching head into the guy holding him. Then, for good measure, he stepped on the guy's foot. With a loud howl, the man let him go.

Instead of making a break for it, Howard flung himself forward. No blasted helpful lines appeared this time around. Not as if he was paying attention anyway. His focus was on the nutcase in front of him.

The loud shot threatening to hurt his ears, caused him to flinch, losing his focus. When the ear by his right ear moved, he flung himself sideways. Had he really just dodged a bullet?

An eternity passed while he regained his balance. His eyes settled on Forester, who was nothing more than a dead heap on the floor. He kicked him, for good measure.

"You're welcome!" Barnes' voice rang out from behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Steve stepped into Howard's line of sight. And oh my, what a sight he was. Fierce, blazing blue eyes. Gold hair shining like the halo of an avenging angel.

The grip on Howard's shoulders, squeezing him tight and shaking him like a leaf in the wind was less awe-inspiring though.

"How'd you find me?" he asked somewhat dumbly. Maybe he was in shock? Shouldn't his shoulder be hurting? All this action couldn't possibly be good for him, brilliant pain pill or not.

"JARVIS alerted me that you'd left the tower," Steve answered.

"If you didn't want us to find you, you should've erased the address from your computer," Barnes finished the explanation. Howard's gaze flickered to him, noting how he'd already holstered his gun.

Howard looked backwards. The guy who'd been holding him was unconscious on the floor.

"SHIELD's incoming," Steve told him as he steered Howard out of the room. "You better get lost, Buck."

And like a proper ghost, Barnes more or less evaporated into thin air. Well, he probably walked really fast.

Howard blinked. Was the ground moving?

"Is this an earthquake?" He asked, his voice sounding small even to his own ears. An entire ocean rushed into his head, pulling him under before he could hear Steve's answer.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys think? Is this story worth to be continued?


End file.
